Ukraine has been betrayed by Trump as Russia continues to target energy infrastructure

What US President Donald Trump says and what he does can often be two conflicting things. Trump also has a habit of vacillating on issues, keeping allies and foes alike on their toes.

However, Trump’s deal on Friday with Russian president Vladimir Putin for the US to purchase diesel from Moscow cannot be seen as anything but a betrayal of Ukraine.

While Britain has a special relationship with the US, it will endure beyond the madness of the current White House administration, Western Europe cannot rely on America as a trusted partner.

That does not dismiss Trump’s criticism that Britain and Europe has not done enough to bolster its own defence capabilities, instead hoping for the US to cover for their own failings on defence.

The deal with Putin is not even about putting the US first but rather putting Trump first, as the mid-terms in America approach. Americans should not be hoodwinked by the US President’s latest manoeuvres. This isn’t just about US elections. It is about Western democratic values. If Western democracy is the arrow in the arsenal against autocracy then Ukraine has been the arrowhead over the past four and a half years.

Russia continued to strike Ukraine’s energy facilities even after Trump announced a day earlier that the warring countries had agreed on an “energy ceasefire”. It is a reminder that either Putin cannot be trusted to act in good faith or that the US President has once again been caught bluffing. Trump had also claimed on September 14 that both countries had agreed “not to hit” each other’s energy infrastructure.