There is a golden rule when it comes to understanding the present: researching recent history. This way, one can observe how, for example, current leaders behaved in similar situations in the past.
To understand the relationship between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin, and to have an objective perspective on the negotiations for a ceasefire in Ukraine, a journey back to the first term of the American president is recommended.
Many secrets are hidden there that explain the gestures, actions, and explosive statements that Trump is making today, endangering America and the stability of the entire world.
"Helsinki was a real turning point for me. I remember very clearly watching the press conference and feeling deeply disgusted, thinking that, in fact, the Russians had something on him. How else could Trump's approach in this matter be explained? Nothing else came to my mind," said Stephen Hall, who was the CIA's chief of Russia operations for three decades, to Chris Whipple, the author of the book "Masters of Espionage."
The work has been translated into Romanian and published by Litera Publishing House, in the Kronika collection.
On July 16, 2018, in Helsinki, Finland, a USA-Russia summit takes place with the aim of easing tensions between the two countries following the scandalous Kremlin intervention in the 2016 American elections, followed by a congressional investigation.
You didn't have to be a spy to realize that Putin and Trump were on the same page. There were over 100 contacts between members of his campaign team and Russian officials. There was nothing normal in this relationship with Russia.
Chris Whipple, the book "Masters of Espionage"
Donald Trump sought to stop the investigation of American lawmakers, the publication of the Mueller report, and his potential impeachment by the House of Representatives.
The meeting with Putin was supposed to help dispel suspicions, but it was a disaster. Trump and Putin had a discussion lasting over two hours, although a 90-minute meeting was scheduled. Completely against diplomatic norms, the advisors of the two heads of state were kept outside, had no access whatsoever, and at the end of the talks, Trump confiscated the notes made by his own translator during the meeting.
Russia is never to blame
After the controversial meeting, an even more controversial press conference followed in which the American president said:
"My people came to me, they came to me to say that they are convinced it's Russia's fault. I have President Putin, he just said it's not Russia. I will say this, I don't see any reason why it would be... President Putin was extremely strong and powerful in his denial today," said Donald Trump at the time.
Both current and former CIA officials were left dumbfounded, as Chris Whipple wrote in his book.
"This statement was so alarming from so many perspectives that it was hard to keep track. At that moment, my wife reminded me that Finland shares a long land border with Russia, and the Russians knew who I was and knew about my attempts to cause as much damage as possible to their national security, and, God forbid, I could have been thrown into a van or something similar," recounted Stephen Hall, the CIA chief, invited to that event in Helsinki.
The entire U.S. security disaster was caused by Donald Trump when there was no war. His attitude towards Putin, in the context of the conflict in Ukraine, shows exactly which side the American president is on, thus better understanding the attack on Zelensky from the White House and the concessions made by Trump to the Russian president.
"Trump's actions regarding Russia are incredible. Most intelligence specialists believe that Putin has some compromising information about him," a CIA agent confessed to Whipple under anonymity, quoted in his work.
A New World Disorder
"If Putin manages to help Trump get reelected, I am convinced that the global political and economic order will be completely changed. We will have entered a new historical era of strategic chaos, a new world disorder. The potential consequences of Trump's reelection are catastrophic," wrote Christopher Steele in his book "Unredacted: Russia, Trump, and the Fight for Democracy."
Steele is a retired British MI6 agent who, in 2016, conducted the first investigation into Donald Trump's ties to Russia.
At the time, his report was attacked by Trump and Republicans, claiming it was false, and once he became president, Trump demanded Steele be brought before the judges.
For four years, he remained hidden, and before the 2024 elections, he published the cited book describing how he compiled the report and why the events described there were confirmed by reality.
"A second Trump administration would likely lead to the cessation of funding for Ukraine, the almost inevitable victory of Russia that would follow, and the occupation of that country. We would also witness the encouragement of Trump-like autocrats worldwide, closer alliances with other undemocratic regimes, withdrawal from commitments and actions regarding climate change, and an unnecessary confrontation with China that could lead to war," Steele further wrote in his book, things that have already happened in the first 50 days since Trump's return to the White House.
A Difficult and Tense Role
In these days when the American president serves Ukraine on a silver platter to Putin, his only problem is that not everyone around him is at Russia's beck and call.
For this reason, we witness Donald Trump's controversial decisions, the promotion of false information, followed by retractions, slight nods towards Putin, and harsh attacks on Zelensky, in a dizzying ballet.
Trump finds himself in the difficult and tense role of a double agent, acting in a hostile environment and unable to fulfill his obligations to Putin, still constrained by certain laws, with many around him doing their job, complicating matters for him.
Over the past three years, the CIA has conducted a large-scale operation to recruit key individuals from Russia to weaken Putin and his dictatorial regime.
"Disagreement over war will continue to erode the Russian leaders, under constant pressure from state propaganda and possible repression," stated William Burns, former CIA director in the Biden administration.
Using their dissatisfaction, American espionage has attempted, to an unknown extent, to bring influential people from the political and military elite in the Kremlin to their side.
Today, due to the suspiciously friendly relations between Trump and Putin, their secret discussions outside diplomatic frameworks, all these people are in danger alongside dozens of CIA employees involved in this recruitment process and their families.
However, according to John Ratcliffe's statements, the new CIA director appointed by Trump, there is a certain type of resistance, especially after the agency was asked by DOGE to dismiss 2,000 employees, to which it complied, but not without defending its position. Additionally, Ratcliffe supported the swift resumption of aid to Ukraine after it was abruptly interrupted at Trump's command.
It is certain, based on a long series of testimonies, some of which have been quoted above, that at the intelligence services level, it is known that there is a privileged relationship between Trump and Putin that jeopardizes international stability. To what extent key individuals will succeed in isolating him informationally and limiting the damage caused by the new American president remains to be seen. So far, events unfold as in the first term, with ups and downs, but Trump's decisions have a much greater impact due to the war triggered by Russia.