Trump Got Outmaneuvered: How U.S. Policies Are Playing Into Russia's Hands
Russia detains another U.S. citizen to replenish its hostage pool
In a predictable twist, recent developments in Russia reveal that Trump was outmaneuvered in a high-stakes hostage/prisoner swap. Authorities at Moscow’s Vnukovo airport detained a U.S. citizen—identified only as K. Byers—on drug smuggling charges involving medicinal cannabis. Although his arrest was officially announced today, reports suggest it occurred on February 7th, with Mash—a Telegram channel citing Russia’s security service sources—reporting that half a kilo of marijuana was found in his luggage. This incident came just days before Moscow freed Marc Fogel, a U.S. schoolteacher wrongfully imprisoned for over three years for bringing medicinal cannabis into Russia.
Fogel’s release was celebrated at the White House as a diplomatic triumph, complete with a public spectacle. Yet this victory— granted by Putin to Trump— came at Ukraine’s expense. Rather than leveraging the win to bolster U.S. bargaining power, Trump immediately threw Ukraine under the bus—showering Putin with praise, checking off Kremlin demands on Ukraine before official negotiations had even begun, and even lobbying for Russia’s readmission into the G7. In doing so, he not only betrayed a longstanding alliance with Ukraine but also handed Russia a significant geopolitical victory.
Yet behind the scenes, Russia was predictably playing a double game. Alongside Fogel’s release, the Kremlin secured Alexander Vinnik—a dangerous Russian operative arrested in Greece on cryptocurrency fraud charges at the U.S. request, later extradited to the United States, and who pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit money laundering. Vinnik was returned to Russia and will likely become “operational” immediately after debriefing.
The Kremlin effectively retrieved its high-value criminal operative from American custody. But that’s not all: Russia forced the U.S. to publicly betray Ukraine while quietly replenishing its hostage pool by seizing another American and even managed to secure a phone call with Trump.
Trump’s Call with Putin
For Putin, one phone call from Trump marked a turning point that Moscow hailed as a significant victory. Russian media, politicians, and propagandists celebrated their change of fortune, praising the “gifts” that Trump delivered in his outreach to Moscow.
In that lengthy conversation, Trump suggested that Russia and the United States should directly negotiate Ukraine’s fate—a move that effectively undercut decades of established Western policy. As one Kremlin insider put it, “Putin is playing a very clever game.”
The call coincided with a shocking U.S. policy shift as the American delegation arrived at the Munich Security Conference. Trump's defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, along with Trump himself, declared that NATO membership for Ukraine was no longer considered a "realistic" outcome of any negotiated settlement, nor was the recovery of territory stolen by Russia.
In a further display of hostility toward our closest ally, from the Oval Office, Trump mocked Ukraine, sided with Russia, and hesitated when asked whether Ukraine should be a partner in negotiations. While Trump was busy showering Putin with praise and pushing for Russia’s return to the G7, Moscow ramped up its deadly bombing of Ukrainian cities.
This marked a predictable outrageous and complete shift in U.S. policy, with far-reaching implications for European security and our national interests.
Betrayal of Ukraine: Extortion and Broken Promises
Meanwhile, the betrayal of Ukraine continues to unfold in parallel. Multiple lawmakers in Munich informed Josh Rogin, from The Washington Post, that a U.S. Congressional delegation presented Ukrainian President Zelenskyy with a document demanding that he sign away 50% of Ukraine’s future mineral reserves to the United States—a blatant extortion attempt. Zelenskyy, maintaining his dignity and sovereignty, politely declined to sign.
These bold maneuvers are emblematic of a broader pattern of betrayal. Ukraine has fought valiantly—sacrificing blood to secure its sovereignty, defend democracy, and bolster Europe's security—yet Trump and his cronies are willing to treat its future as a bargaining chip for their and Russia’s geopolitical interests. This serves as a stark reminder that in the high-stakes realm of international diplomacy, no nation is immune to the machinations of power, and Ukraine continues to find itself caught in the crossfire.
Moreover, Trump appears all too eager to cede Ukrainian territory to Russia—essentially rewarding them for the genocide they are perpetrating. Meanwhile, in reality, Russia could end the war at any moment simply by withdrawing from Ukraine.
U.S Hostility Towards Europe
These audacious moves are emblematic of a broader pattern of betrayal. While Trump’s regime has prioritized gestures of goodwill and normalization of Russia—such as his public praise for Putin and his willingness to push for Russia’s return to the G7—these actions have come at the intentional expense of our very close allies and U.S. national security. Simultaneously, Trump and Musk continue gutting U.S. intelligence and law enforcement agencies, which have effectively played into Moscow’s hands.
As an anxious Europe struggles to make sense of these developments, Vice President JD Vance added more fuel to the fire. At the Munich Security Conference, Vance expressed support for far-right parties, such as Germany’s Alternative for Germany (AfD)—aligned with Nazis and Moscow. Vance criticized European leaders for not “upholding” democratic values, suggesting that their refusal to embrace far-right ideologies is ‘undermining’ their security.
And, in a dystopian twist, Vance eviscerated what he termed 'Soviet '-style European ‘censorship,’ openly exhibiting the worst hostility toward our European partners. His remarks left European leaders dumbfounded and shocked, further underscoring the deep divisions in transatlantic relations as the U.S. shifts its alliances toward Russia and China.
This unprecedented convergence of policy shifts, high-level praise for Putin, and overt hostility toward long-standing allies highlight a troubling new era in U.S. foreign policy—one that will embolden dictators while leaving our decades-long democratic partners in danger.
Meanwhile, as Vance was speaking today, Russia demonstrated its "seriousness" about ending its genocidal war by striking the Chornobyl nuclear plant—an act timed to coincide with the Security Conference. This blatant move of "nuclear blackmail" underscores the escalating regional dangers that Russia poses.
A High-Stakes Game of Betrayal and Geopolitical Pawn Moves
The convergence of these events—a dramatic hostage swap, an audacious extortion attempt targeting Ukraine’s future resources, a nuclear plant attack, and high-level U.S. policy changes—paints a stark picture of modern geopolitical manipulation. Trump’s actions, from his outrageous call with Putin to his willingness to sacrifice Ukrainian and European interests, reveal a disturbing tendency to make Russia “great” at our allies’ expense.
With U.S. policies increasingly aligned with Kremlin objectives, Russia’s strategic gains are mounting, and the repercussions for American national security and international stability will be severe. It is way past time for Europe to wake up and realize that under Trump, the U.S. is, at best, an unreliable ally and, at worst, a direct threat to European security—especially in light of recent threats against NATO allies like Canada and Denmark via Greenland.
Europe must stop wasting valuable time and help Ukraine defeat Russia before Russian tanks roll across more European cities, and start preparing for a new reality in which, for the first time since World War II, the U.S. no longer cares about or will guarantee European security.
While I have not been watching the Munich Security Conference, friends have been updating me who are watching it, so I heard about Vance's speech and Pistorius'. I am here in Germany so of course I have been preparing for this US switch to alignment with Russia against Europe. It is frustrating to me that so many Germans are pro Russia, some since the 60s when they embraced being left although they lived in the west and the DDR and Soviet Union were romanticized. Then, I have a Ukrainian friend who felt herself to be Russian due to a childhood where Russian language was used in schools. She even did simultaneous translating for Gorbachev when he was in Chicago. That is the effect of Russian colonization of other countries.
Now we see that Project 2025 is coming alive, although it lists Russia and China as enemies, clearly that is not how Trump feels. He is not doing foreign policy as a Christian Nationalist, but as an autocrat.
Wondering where this will lead for the US, where most of my family is, including my ailing, aged mother. I cannot hear another European politician say how they must have the US in order to do anything. I would send roses to the first European politician who says, we can do this on our own. Protecting Ukraine is protecting us. Neither Scholz or Merz is the kind of leader that can stand up to Trump and lead Europe. Who that person is, is not on the table to lead.
In the US AOC should be leading the Democratic party. She gets it, in ways that the leadership does not. She gets how to stand up to Bully White boys. So does Jasmine Crockett. Let them lead please. We might salvage something.
Europe HAS to step up and treat us like the enemy we are. I didn’t vote for this fascism, but I’m sure willing to take it on the chin if Europe does what it needs to do. Boycott and sanction us into poverty … if it saves the nation. I consider it tough love. And I consider it my patriotic duty to support our European friends. We so desperately need them to stay strong and to stay on the correct side.