Trump echoes Russian narratives as U.S. Ukraine tensions rise
"What we are witnessing now has never happened before: The United States has capitulated to Russian propaganda," writes the Swedish newspaper "Dagens Nyheter." Meanwhile, the daily "Svenska Dagbladet" warns that Americans can no longer be trusted.
Amanda Sokolnicki, writing in the Swedish press, questions whether Russian propaganda has ever been as successful as it has in the past 24 hours. She points out that the United States has effectively surrendered to Russian influence for the first time in history.
Amanda Sokolnicki notes that Russia's influence peaked on Wednesday when U.S. President Donald Trump closely echoed Russian falsehoods, asserting that Ukraine initiated the war and that President Volodymyr Zelensky is a dictator unwilling to hold elections.
Growing tensions between the USA and Ukraine
A commentator from "Dagens Nyheter" notes that Trump, who encouraged his supporters to storm the Capitol after losing power, concluded from his conversation with Russian leader Vladimir Putin that "the most important thing for Ukraine now is the development of democracy."
At the same time, she recalls that the Trump administration demanded U.S. participation in Ukraine's natural resources. "Not in exchange for security guarantees (for Ukraine), but so that Americans can recover the money they provided for Ukraine's defence," she notes and assesses that "the goals of the Americans are starting to eerily resemble those of the Russians."
Karin Eriksson from the same newspaper fears that if Zelensky stands in the way of Trump's ambitions, he will have to step down. "This is connected to Russian attempts to influence the outcome of the U.S. presidential elections in 2016. Putin denied any (Russian) involvement, and at the summit (with Trump's participation) in Helsinki in 2018, said there was no reason not to trust the Kremlin," reminds Eriksson.
Eriksson notes that Trump was more interested in investigating Joe Biden's ties to Ukraine than in the Russian aspect of the investigation. "In the summer of 2019, Trump tried to pressure the newly elected President Zelensky," she notes. According to the columnist, Trump used the issue of Ukraine as a weapon in his fight to return to the White House.
Eriksson points out that voters responded positively to criticism of U.S. support for Ukraine throughout the campaign. She argues that Trump's stance is purely transactional, with little regard for loyalty to allies.
Meanwhile, "Svenska Dagbladet" considers that the USA is no longer a country to be trusted. "Anyone who wants to support freedom, justice, and security today must be a friend of Europe," it emphasizes. In a situation where nothing is as it should be, one cannot afford disorientation or despair.
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