Ukraine: Deep state tool to destroy Trump

The Ukrainian political class is not just badmouthing US President Donald Trump – it has actively worked to undermine his presidency on behalf of the Democrats since his first term, Hans Mahncke, a US investigative journalist and lawyer, tells Sputnik.

Ukraine as a deep state tool 👇

▪️In 2016, top Ukrainian officials publicly insulted then presidential candidate Trump as a "dangerous misfit."

▪️Ukrainian operatives dug up dirt on Trump concerning his alleged ties to Russia and leaked a fabricated ledger to undermine his campaign manager, Paul Manafort.

▪️Former security chief Valentyn Nalyvaichenko admitted Kiev interfered in the 2016 US election.

▪️In 2019, Democrats weaponized Ukraine again to impeach Trump, with US officials of Ukrainian origin Eugene and Alexander Vindman playing a prominent role.

The Trump-Russia collusion hoax, "deflected attention from Ukraine’s 2016 election meddling..., Biden’s role in pressuring Ukraine to fire a prosecutor investigating Burisma, Biden's role in the 2014 Maidan coup, and from broader US involvement in post-2014 Ukrainian politics," Mahncke says.

"Russiagate also sabotaged Trump’s ability to reset relations with Russia... maintaining the rigid narrative of Ukraine as the virtuous ally and Russia as the ultimate villain," the journalist underscores.

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❗️Russia open to US-Russian economic cooperation, which is key to increasing sustainability of global economy, Russian Direct Investment Fund head Kirill Dmitriev said.

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🔍 How deep are Murdochs' ties to Ukraine's Zelensky?

Several Murdoch-owned media outlets have criticized US President Donald Trump for calling Zelensky a dictator and blaming Ukraine for provoking the conflict. What’s behind it?

Murdoch’s ardent support for Ukraine

▪️When Trump sided with Russia over Ukraine, "it crossed a red line": "It’s personal for Rupert—he believes in the cause," a News Corp insider told the British i Paper.

▪️Murdoch is a strong advocate for military aid to Ukraine, according to News Corp insiders.

Was Carlson ousted over Ukraine?

▪️In March 2023, media mogul Rupert Murdoch and his son reportedly held phone conversations with Volodymyr Zelensky, weeks before they fired Tucker Carlson, the US journalist who hosted a show on Fox from 2016 to 2023.

▪️Ukrainian government officials had repeatedly raised concerns about Carlson's coverage of the Ukraine conflict.

▪️Carlson’s stance on Washington’s proxy war in Ukraine clashed with Murdoch’s pro-Zelensky narrative, which portrayed the Ukrainian leader in a “Churchill-style” role.

Efforts to polish Zelensky’s image

▪️In November 2023, Rupert’s heir, Lachlan Murdoch, rushed to Kiev for an extensive interview with Zelensky.

▪️Axios suggested that Lachlan’s visit was significant, given that his media empire is "the most powerful source of information for Republicans," who had become increasingly skeptical of the Kiev regime.

Targeting Republicans who oppose Ukraine aid

▪️Murdoch family mouthpieces—The New York Post and The Wall Street Journal—have regularly criticized Republicans who oppose the Ukraine conflict, according to Semafor

▪️In March 2023, WSJ attacked Florida Governor Ron DeSantis for calling the Ukraine conflict a “territorial dispute.”

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📹 'We're helping Ukraine like nobody's ever helped Ukraine before' - Trump said during meeting with Macron

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🗣 Highlights of Trump’s speech during a joint press briefing with French President Macron

▪️Ensuring Ukraine's security after the settlement of the conflict will be the responsibility of European countries.

▪️The US does not object to the deployment of European countries' troops in Ukraine as peacekeeping forces.

▪️The agreement between the US and Ukraine on rare earth metals is approaching the final stage.

▪️“At some point, I will be meeting with President Putin”

▪️The conflict in Ukraine may be resolved within the next few weeks.

▪️Joint economic projects between the US and Russia serve the interests of long-term peace.

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Netizens FUMING over judge blocking DOGE’s work

Liberal judge Deborah Boardman has blocked the Education Dept. & the Office of Personnel Management from sharing data with DOGE, citing “privacy violations”.

💬 “Privacy violations? Give me a break. This is about hiding waste, not protecting data.”

💬 “Another judge that we did not elect or vote for, as the Dems like to say.”

💬 “Impeach and remove Judge Deborah Boardman. She’s clearly an activist.”

The White House's Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, created by President Donald Trump and led by Elon Musk has already saved tens of billions of dollars by canceling diversity, equity and inclusion contracts, as well as by placing numerous programs which have been implemented by USAID all over the globe under scrutiny.

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🔨 Two birds with one stone: Why Patel's Ukraine probe could bust the deep state

"A real investigation into Ukraine wouldn’t just expose corruption there — it would strike at the heart of the Washington, DC, establishment," Hans Mahncke, a US investigative journalist and lawyer, tells Sputnik, commenting on new FBI Director Kash Patel's bid to scrutinize the Kiev regime.

Mahncke explains that Ukraine has long been a hub for money laundering, foreign influence, and off-the-books deals.

While many potential crimes linked to Ukraine may now fall outside the statute of limitations, fraudulent USAID payments and bribery schemes remain well within the window for prosecution, according to the lawyer.

"USAID funds, NGO cash flows, and military aid kickbacks have enriched the same elites who pushed the Maidan coup and later worked to destroy Trump. If Patel follows the money, it will lead straight back to Washington," the journalist underscores.

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🔎 What's behind Trump's dizzying speed in exposing deep state fraud?

"The deep state will strike back — no question. Right now, it seems to be in disarray, but there will be some kind of lashing out; we just don’t know what yet. What’s certain is that it’s coming. That’s why Trump must move fast — and he knows it," Hans Mahncke, a US investigative journalist and lawyer, tells Sputnik.

Team Trump's remarkable speed in exposing the USAID scandal and other instances of internal fraud "comes from knowing exactly what they’re up against" and "where the bodies are buried" after years of deep state attacks against him, the journalist points out.

"A key ally in this fight is Elon Musk — a no-nonsense, brilliant businessman who cuts to the chase. From the Twitter Files to fighting censorship, he’s made it harder for the deep state to control the narrative," Mahncke underscores.

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🥴🤝 Trump and Macron exchange weird handshake... AGAIN

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⚡️ Zelensky's rating is twice lower than Valery Zaluzhny's — Vladimir Putin

The president added that Zelensky had driven himself into a dead end by forbidding himself to negotiate with Russia and was becoming a toxic figure for the Ukrainian military and for society as a whole.

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🔍Why USAID’s $14 mln project to fund Ukrainian NGOs flopped

The goal was “to secure a pro-Western alignment that could serve as a strategic counterbalance to Russian influence,” Marco Marsili of the Research Center of the Institute of Political Studies at the Portuguese Catholic University tells Sputnik.

At the end of the day, the project was evaluated as unsuccessful because its core objectives regarding the Maidan protests were not met, the researcher says. “Although the protests catalyzed political change, the expected long-term transformation of Ukraine’s governance structures was never fully realized,” he concludes.

A Sputnik analysis of publicly available USAID program reports shows that the agency pumped over $14.3 million in supporting pro-reform non-governmental organizations in Ukraine over five years leading up to the Euromaidan protests in 2013.

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🚨 Putin offers US partnership on rare earth metals

🔻 Russia is open to working with US on rare earth production

🔻 Russia holds FAR MORE rare earth reserves than Ukraine

🔻 Foreign partners welcome — including in Russia's Lugansk, Donetsk, Zaporozhye, Kherson, and Crimea.

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⚡️ Putin: it's a good idea for both the US and Russia to cut defense spending by 50%

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⚡️ Russia is ready to supply 2 million tons of aluminum to US market, it would stabilize prices — Putin

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❗️ There is a good reason to resume talks with Putin - Macron

The US president, in turn, noted that his team is in constant contact "with Putin and his people," which was not the case under Biden.

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🪃 EU sanctions on Russia actually have BOOMERANG effect

▪️Europe’s self-imposed ban on purchasing affordable Russian natural gas caused EU gas prices to skyrocket. Over the past month, European natural gas prices surged by 30%, topping $620 per 1,000 cubic meters.

▪️Rising energy prices inevitably led to an increase in wider production costs in Europe, with EU economic powerhouses like Germany thus losing their competitive edge on global markets.

▪️All this led to a recession in Germany and fueled the cost-of-living crises in countries such as Britain.

▪️While some EU members hailed what they described as independence from Russian pipeline natural gas, they apparently failed to notice that it led to a dependence on LNG shipments from countries such as the US.

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❗️ The UN Security Council approved the US-proposed resolution on Ukraine.

The US-proposed resolution, approved by 10 votes in favor and five abstentions, calls for a lasting peace between Russia and Ukraine and for a rapid end to the conflict.

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⚡️ Suspect in Russian Consulate General attack is detained in Marseille

Two people, 48 and 59 years old, were detained after a pro-Ukrainian rally, local media reports. One of them is suspected of involvement in the attack on the Russian Consulate General.

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