Trump Is Playing "Russian Roulette" With Putin

To the detriment of his own party.

U.S. President Donald Trump has stepped up his rapprochement with Russian dictator Vladimir Putin ahead of the midterm congressional elections, creating additional problems for the Republican Party. This is reported by Axios.

The publication notes that following a phone call with Putin on Friday, Trump made a series of diplomatic concessions to Russia over the course of five days. In particular, he announced an agreement to suspend sanctions and authorize the export of millions of metric tons of Russian diesel fuel.

On Saturday, the U.S. president criticized Volodymyr Zelenskyy for strikes on Russian oil refineries and demanded the Ukrainian leader’s removal. The next day, Trump unexpectedly announced an immediate energy truce, but Russia continued to attack Ukrainian energy infrastructure.

On Monday, he also dismissed intelligence reports that Russia was assisting Iran in its military operations. And on Tuesday, he once again defended the diesel fuel deal, despite concerns that the proceeds would fuel the Russian war machine.

“The benefits for Russia are obvious. It is far less clear what Trump’s concessions achieve for the security of the U.S., its European allies, or his own political prospects,” Axios notes.

According to the publication, the agreement is unlikely to significantly lower fuel prices in the U.S., which have risen due to the war with Iran. At the same time, Washington is drifting apart from its European NATO allies amid an escalation of Russian sabotage, cyberattacks, and drone incursions.

Political risks for Republicans are also mounting. According to a YouGov poll conducted in January, 81% of voters who supported Trump in 2024 view Putin negatively. Thus, making concessions to the Russian dictator is not something that American voters are likely to appreciate.

However, while the Republican Party risks losing control of Congress—which could block Trump’s own legislative initiatives—the U.S. president pretends that this is none of his concern.

“I’m not running in this election; I’ve already won by a stunningly convincing margin,” he recently wrote on social media.