Trump realizing his actual relationship with Putin

 

Hard to believe he's admitting he's not all-powerful.

UPDATE 07/04/2025:

[Russia droned Kiev] just hours after US President Donald Trump said he had made “no progress” towards a ceasefire in a call with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin.

The massive aerial assault stuck multiple buildings and residential areas in the capital in what has been described by Ukrainian officials as one of the worst attacks of the three-year conflict.

[...]

The strikes sparked fires in buildings and structures across several city districts, and partially destroying multi-story buildings, according to the State Emergency Service of Ukraine. They also destroyed part of Kyiv’s railway, and damaged five ambulances that were responding to calls from those wounded.

The Polish consulate was also damaged during the attack, according to Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski, who called on the US to “restore supplies of anti-aircraft ammunition to Ukraine and impose tough new sanctions on the aggressor.”

[...]

Trump said he would speak with Zelensky early Friday morning, adding that he was “very disappointed” with his conversation with Putin, whom he believes is “not looking to stop” the war.

  CNN

Oh, really? Welcome to reality, Donnie.

[T]he balance of aid to Ukraine has changed significantly since Trump returned to power, casting doubt over the future of US support for Kyiv.

[...]

The strikes come as the Trump administration pauses some weapons shipments to Ukraine, including air defense missiles, following a review of military spending and American support to foreign countries.

A green light to Putin.

Orange, gluttonous supplicant.  He even elbowed Queen Elizabeth behind himself, but not Putin.
 

UPDATE 07/04/2025:

Putin's answer to Trump

 

Who's the boss (not a question)

Just one week has passed since Donald Trump’s electoral triumph, and already Russian President Vladimir Putin—one of the strongman leaders Trump admires most—is messing with his head.

First, Putin waited two days before congratulating Trump on his victory. One can imagine Trump receiving phone calls from kowtowing leaders the world over—Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky, Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu, the Palestinian Authority’s Mahmoud Abbas, the chief of NATO, the European heads of state—all the while wondering about the man whom he’s admired publicly and privately for the past eight years.

[...]

Then, in response to Trump’s claim that during their phone call, he asked—in some accounts, warned—Putin not to escalate the war in Ukraine, a Kremlin spokesman denied that the two had spoken on the phone at all.

[...]

If Trump thinks Putin actually will refrain from stepping up attacks on Ukraine as a friendly favor … well, maybe our once-and-future president will learn a lesson about the limits of personal relations in the face of perceived national interests early in his second term.
The final twist of this saga came on Monday when Russia’s intelligence chief, Nikolai Patrushev, made the following comment in an interview with the Moscow newspaper Kommersant: 

The election campaign is over. To achieve success in the election, Donald Trump relied on certain forces to which he has corresponding obligations. As a responsible person, he will be obliged to fulfill them.

  Slate

Lucky for us he's not a responsible person, I guess.

On the other hand, he's a responsive person, so responsible works when talking about how he responds to Putin.

[...]

If Trump did have some involvement, or if Russia possesses some other form of kompromat (compromising material) on Trump, Patrushev’s message constitutes an extraordinarily bodacious threat of blackmail, delivered in public, against an American president-elect.

...but hey, do what you want...you will anyway.

Putin letting Trump - and the world - know who's boss

...but hey, do what you want...you will anyway.