Trump Moves Toward Ukraine and Against Putin

As U.S. senators continue to pressure the Trump administration, the pivot is beginning to stabilize.

Ukrainian Antonov An-178

The Ukrainian An-124 transport aircraft ‘Be Brave Like Kharkiv’ (UR-82027) arrived at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base — the U.S. military’s aircraft boneyard — to collect F-16 parts under the new sustainment deal.

After the dismantled fighters were loaded, the plane took off on April 26, bound for Rzeszów-Jasionka Airport in southeastern Poland. Photos of the loading process, widely circulated by a prominent right-winger, offered enough visual and logistical detail to confirm the story: it was real. It was happening.

The timing of the aircraft’s arrival is a story unto itself: one day before Donald Trump and Zelensky spoke at the Vatican, and one day after Ukrainian officials met with U.S. counterparts in London to discuss a ceasefire proposal. Something clearly shifted in the last week of April 2025. I still don’t know the exact trigger, but if I had to wager a guess, I’d point to Macron’s emotional outburst in Madagascar on April 23 — the moment that stabilized the pivot.

He made it clear that the ceasefire proposal, in its current form — which effectively handed Russia a victory by surrendering Crimea and legitimizing the invasion — was unacceptable. There was no threading the line. No diplomatic coating. He directly attacked Putin and accused him of lying to the Americans.

Then he drew the line in the sand: Zelensky cannot be expected to accept this.

And after that, everything went quiet. Ukrainian officials stopped speaking about the ceasefire. Europe went silent. Keir Starmer — nothing. Even Donald Trump, usually eager to stir that pot, stopped.

But something else began to move. One by one, U.S. senators started talking about Putin. First it was Chuck Grassley. Then John Kennedy. Then Lindsey Graham. After that, I stopped tracking — the momentum was undeniable.

These are senators who usually struggle to find a spine when swimming in the MAGA lake. They voted to nominate Pete Hegseth, Tulsi Gabbard, Kash Patel, and RFK Jr. That spine doesn’t suddenly stand upright unless someone’s hand is gripping it tight.

I think that hand belongs to the U.S. defense industry.

They had to move. Because when the Trump administration pulled support for Ukraine in the first week of March, it was a brutal wake-up call. Europe is their wealthiest, most stable customer. And Trump siding with Putin forced Europe to start questioning whether it could continue trusting American weapons.

Sales haven’t fallen yet — but the trajectory was clear. They were likely waiting, wanting, and watching for an opening. And it came — in the form of Emmanuel Macron.

And now, here we are: a U.S.–Ukraine minerals deal has been signed. Not a fixed contract that locks Ukraine in — but a “fixed now, flexible later” agreement that leaves room for changes down the line. America isn’t just extracting minerals from Ukraine. It has also agreed to help with reconstruction.

But there was no mention of weapons. Not a single line in that agreement gave us any confidence that the administration was ready to sell Ukraine the weapons it needs. And yes — letting them buy weapons is far better than dumping a pile of low-end gear at the last minute and congratulating yourself as the world’s biggest donor. That doesn't help them win — it just helps them bleed without dying.

And yet — actions speak louder than omissions. Yesterday, the State Department announced it will help sustain Ukraine’s F-16 fleet, at a cost of $310.5 million. In Air Force terms, this is called sustainment — and it is no small move.