By Suleiman Umaru
When Vladimi Putin, the Russian Federation President stated in 2024, that if the North American country of the United States, US, which had been ‘’supplying weapons and provides funds and political cover to Ukraine’’ to sustain the over three -year- old war against Russia, could stop, it would be over in two weeks, not many took him seriously.
Rutte Mark, Secretary General of the EU, and other European Leaders including Volodymir Zelenskyy, the Ukrainian Leader, had laughed over it describing Putin as a bad loser. But barely after one and half years in office, President Donald Trump of the US, described as a Peace Ambassador, in international circles, who is determined to end the Ukraine war at all costs appears to have cued into the new arrangement to stop supplying arms, provide funds and political cover to Zelenskyy to place Ukraine where it actually belongs to in order to end the war.
The US, President may have abandoned Zelenskyy of Ukraine, and the other European Leaders to take up responsibility of funding the Ukrainian war as one of the countries in Europe in their expansion bid and leave the US, out of it.
It would be recalled that rump had signed a deal with Zelenskyy, granting, the US, government access to the country’s lithium and other rare earth elements and share of future revenues from its mineral reserves after the war might have ended in favour of the east European country.
However, President Trump may have read the handwriting on the wall that Ukraine, with all the supports from the EU, and NATO, would not be able to defeat Russia, let alone for the US, to recover its’ investment in the war that he may have decided to walk away and abandon the EU, to finance the Ukraine war as a European term.
He was quoted to have said that the US, only commitment to the Ukraine war is to sale its advanced weapons to the EU, and for the Leadership of the Organisation, in turn, to do whatever it wants with the US-manufactured weapons.
Zelenskyy had proposed a weapons deal with the US for Ukraine to be supplied with Tomahawk missiles, described as ‘’a powerful and dangerous weapon ‘’ that could strike deep into Russia, during a recent visit to Washing DC, the American capital, but was promptly turned down by Trump for fear of escalation of the war that could push Russia to deploy its nuclear weapons which could strike major cities in NATO, countries , including the US, that could result into WW3.
An eye witness account had said that Zelenskyy had arrived Washington DC, on October 17, 2025, beaming with smiles and hoping that Trump would keep to his promise of handing over the Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine but had left empty -handed despite pressures from President Emmanuel Macron of France and Frederich Merz, the Germany Chancellor and other NATO, Leaders to release the weapons to his home country.
Zelenskky, who had expected to use the Tomahawk missiles ‘’to strike military targets in Russia’’ may have been disappointed that he had told those that cares to listen that ‘’Trump hates him’’ as he had bowed to pressures from Putin, not to sale the weapons to Ukraine, that could have end the war as Putin would have been forced to come to the Negotiating table.
Angered by the action of Trump not n to give Ukraine the Tomahawks promised may have informed why Zelenskyy gave the nod for the Friendship pipeline supplying Russian oil and gas from the Ukrainian route to Hungary and other eastern European countries to be bombed.
The destruction of Friendship pipeline may have caused Russia to caught off half of its oil gas loaded for export which had been fully paid by the European buyers.
Viktor Orban, the Hungarian, Prime Minister, wasted no time in attacking Zelenskyy, accusing him and his home country, Ukraine of not only destroying the country’s economy but the entire European economy.
Zelenskyy, may have made a bold statement to stop Russia further crude oil exports to weaken its economy by bombing the Friendship pipeline with its cruise missiles but may have miscalculated as the outrage from other European countries had been very worrisome.
While Zelenskyy, is doing everything within his powers to weaken the Russian economy, Trump, who had refused to sell Tomahawk to Ukraine, may have resorted smearing image campaign to force the Indian government to stop buying Russia cheap oil but patronize American oil. The reports making the rounds was that India is getting the first shipment of Chevron oil, an American based oil company in January, 2026.
There are indications that after Narendra Modi, the Indian Prime Minister, had talked with Trump recently, he had allegedly given his words to step up purchases of American oil and natural gas as it diversifies its energy supplies, which many believes, Putin may not have seen coming.
The Russian Leader may not have bothered whether India buys its oil or not, as he had said that he will never lobby any foreign country to buy Russia oil, stating that India is at liberty to buy oil from any country including the US or Russia. But Trump’s campaign over the last one year, to force had been to discourage India, from buying Russian oil to enjoy better tariff from the US.
Notwithstanding the American President moves to cripple the Russian oil industry which is its major source of foreign exchange earnings, using Zelenskyy, in proxy war, Putin had played along with him, with little or no complaints.
Trump may have cashed in on the good working relationship between Trump and Orban, the Hungarian Prime Minister, to meet with him in Budapest, the country’s Capital, between now and the tail end of October, 2025.
The Hungarian Prime Minister had described it as a thing of surprise for the choice of his home country by the two world Leaders to hold their Summit, as an indication of his repeated calls on the EU, Leaders ‘’to Negotiate with Moscow instead of resorting confrontation since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine’’. He could beat his chest that Hungary,’’ an island of peace’’, is the only place that such a high-profile meeting could take place in Europe.
As a prelude to Trump and Putin’s planned Summit in Budapest, Hungary, the US, President had confirmed that some top- level advisers from the two countries would meet next week to prepare the grounds for the Presidential Summit. Marco Rubio, the US, Secretary of State is expected to lead the country’s delegation while Sergey Viktorovich Larov, the Russian Foreign minister, would lead the country’s delegation to the high-profile meeting.
A top official of the US, government, had revealed had Zelenskyy, the Ukrainian President and the European Leaders are excluded from the Budapest Summit to find a solution on how to bring to an end the Ukraine-Russian war involving the US, President and his Russian Counterpart expected to bring relief to the people of Ukraine.
The European Leaders may not have seen their exclusion from the Hungary meeting between Trump and Putin, that may restructure the border Map of Europe, as they were said to have to have protested ‘’to stop Trump threatening the long-term European security after his abrupt change of course over how best to end the war in Ukraine’’.
The European Leaders may have shocked many when they noted that they were not surprised that Trump could make a U- Turn, in supporting the Ukraine war after speaking with Putin for over two hours on Thursday, October 16, 2025, before meeting with Zelenskyy of Ukraine on Friday, October 17, 2025, to address his Tomahawk demands.
The European Leaders had left no one in doubt that they are committed ‘’to supporting Ukraine to weakening Russia economy’’, which was a clear call for escalation of the Ukraine war.
But President Von der Leyen of the European Commission, thinks differently. She was said to have cautiously welcomed the talks between the two world Leaders in Hungary, in the coming two weeks ‘’to advance possible end to the war in Ukraine’’. She may have adopted a prudently positive hope about the Hungary meeting that could end the Ukraine war. Vintage Trump.
