Grant Shapps, the former UK defence minister, has expressed deep dismay over Donald Trump’s sympathetic rhetoric toward Vladimir Putin and Russia, comparing the US president’s description of a deadly missile strike in Ukraine to the “weasel language” once used by the IRA terrorist group.
Speaking on the One Decision podcast, Shapps did not mince words in his criticism of Trump’s response to Russia’s recent attack on the Ukrainian city of Sumy, which killed at least 35 people and injured more than 100. When asked about the strike, Trump had called it “terrible” but added, “I was told they made a mistake.” Shapps drew a stark parallel, saying, “We used to hear this kind of language from the IRA after they killed civilians. It’s appalling not to be able to condemn it properly.”
The ex-minister, who played a key role in coordinating Western support for Ukraine before losing his seat in last year’s Labour landslide, accused Trump of a dangerous lack of moral clarity. “It disgusts me that the leader of the free world cannot distinguish between a dictator who murders his opponents and invades democracies, and the nation that’s been invaded,” Shapps said. “This ambiguity demoralizes the entire democratic world.”
Shapps also hinted at darker theories behind Trump’s reluctance to confront Putin, alluding to longstanding speculation about potential Russian leverage over the former president. While stopping short of making direct allegations, he referenced Trump’s first impeachment which centered on his attempt to pressure Ukraine into investigating Joe Biden as evidence of troubling ties to Moscow.
Beyond Ukraine, Shapps warned that Trump’s approach risks emboldening other authoritarian leaders with expansionist ambitions. “If you let one dictator invade a neighbor unchecked, what stops others from doing the same?” he asked. “The credibility of the West is at stake.”
The criticism comes amid escalating violence in Ukraine, including a strike on Zelenskyy’s hometown of Kryvyi Rih earlier this month that killed nine children. Despite Trump’s campaign trail promise to end the war “in one day,” his administration has instead drawn ire for rebuking Zelenskyy, seeking economic concessions from Kyiv, and deploying a negotiator, Steve Witkoff, whose glowing praise of Putin has raised eyebrows.
As the conflict grinds on with no clear diplomatic breakthrough, Shapps’ remarks underscore growing unease among Western allies over Trump’s perceived softness toward Moscow a stance that continues to strain transatlantic relations.
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