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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
National
Holly Bishop

Putin has played Trump ‘like a violin’ but now US president is his ‘only answer’, ex MI6 boss says

The former boss of MI6 has said that Vladimir Putin has played Donald Trump “like a violin” in the past but now the US president is his “only answer.”

Appearing on Newsnight on Thursday (10 July), Sir Alex Younger said: “He's created this idea that they're mates and that they are equivalent and they can solve all the world's problems together.”

“But it's becoming very clear to Donald Trump that Putin has no other plan other than to subjugate Ukraine and he's going to make Trump look like a muppet if he continues and that's not acceptable.”

Sir Alex, who led the UK's Secret Intelligence Service from 2014 to 2020, said that Putin has “overplayed his hand”, and now, after losing so many troops in battle, “Trump is his only answer”.

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