A former head of the UK’s Secret Intelligence Service says that Vladimir Putin skillfully controlled Donald Trump for a while, but this plan has now failed. Sir Alex Younger, who ran MI6 from 2014 to 2020, explained that the Russian president made Trump believe they had a friendly relationship, suggesting they could work together to solve world problems. However, this careful trick seems to have stopped working, as Trump’s position on the war in Ukraine has become much tougher.
Younger said, “He’s played Trump like a violin so far. 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.”
Younger shared this view during a TV interview found by Express, where he also said that Putin was misunderstanding both the political and military situation in the ongoing war. Relations between the US and Russia have gotten worse in recent months. The US president has stopped suggesting that Kyiv somehow provoked Moscow’s invasion and now blames the long and brutal war directly on the Kremlin.
Trump doesn’t want to be Putin’s ‘muppet’ anymore
Reports say Trump has become frustrated with Putin, saying that his friendly attitude means nothing when Russia is still attacking. In private talks with donors, the US president has reportedly said that he gave Putin strong warnings. Trump allegedly told the Russian leader that if Russia invaded Ukraine, he would order a bombing campaign against Moscow, saying he would have no other choice. He reportedly gave a similar warning to China about a possible invasion of Taiwan, saying he would launch attacks on Beijing.
Younger said, “He is overplaying his hand. And he doesn’t have a military solution… With three years in, he’s lost a million men, and he’s got less territory than he did in 22, OK? So Trump is his only answer. He’s playing it very dangerous here… We get a lot of bulls*** thrown at us by Putin, if you want to know the truth. He’s very nice all the time, but it turns out to be meaningless.”
— Sputnik (@SputnikInt) July 9, 2025
“I’ll bomb the sh*t out of Moscow” — Trump allegedly told Putin, according to CNN audio
Also threatened Beijing.
So much for “peace in 24 hours.”
The “Art of the Deal” means reckless war threats? https://t.co/J5oP8kiqeS pic.twitter.com/hP4gtRxrSt
Even though Trump has delayed military aid to Ukraine in the past, he has now approved a new shipment of weapons. This will include Patriot air defense systems, sent through NATO. Trump said the US would give Patriots to NATO, and then the alliance would pay the full cost back.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had a good conversation with Trump about this and confirmed a request for ten Patriot systems. These systems are essential for stopping the increase in Russian airstrikes. European allies are also helping, with Germany reportedly ready to pay for two Patriot systems and Norway for one.
