Oct 11, 2026 · 14 min
Trump shifts blame for Ukraine war toward Zelensky
How Much Longer?
The episode examines whether Trump’s alignment with Putin and support for lifting Russian oil sanctions could strengthen Moscow’s war effort.
- 1Trump increasingly echoes Putin’s position while blaming Zelensky for prolonging Russia’s war in Ukraine.
- 2Richardson traces the political links among Russia, Ukraine, Manafort, and Trump’s rise to national power.
- 3Lifting sanctions on Russian oil could aid Moscow and test Republican support for Trump’s national-security policies.
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Richardson argues that lifting sanctions on Russian oil could strengthen Moscow’s war effort while Trump blames Zelenskyy.
The brief
Heather Cox Richardson examines Donald Trump’s increasingly explicit alignment with Vladimir Putin and his effort to shift responsibility for Russia’s war in Ukraine onto Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
The episode places Trump’s current posture in a longer political history linking Russia, Ukraine, Paul Manafort, and the networks surrounding Trump’s rise.
Its central warning is that lifting sanctions on Russian oil could strengthen Moscow’s war effort, even as Trump presents Zelenskyy as the obstacle to peace.
The episode closes by asking whether Republicans will support Trump’s national-security policies as his position increasingly favors Putin’s interests.