US Republican Senator: Putin Is Manipulating Trump and Steering Washington Away from Ukraine

Thom Tillis, a Republican senator from North Carolina, has said in an interview with CNN that Russian President Vladimir Putin is manipulating US President Donald Trump and thereby pulling Washington away from supporting Ukraine, which Russia invaded. The outlet The Hill reported his remarks. Tillis believes history will not forgive Trump if he abandons Ukraine and lets Russia achieve its goals. The criticism comes as disagreement over policy toward Russia grows within the president's own party.

Criticism of sanctions and a possible summit

Tillis called Putin's claims about the "denazification" of Ukraine lies and said Putin is "playing Trump like a fiddle." In his view, the Russian leader exploits Trump's wish to strike a deal in order to weaken US support for Ukraine.

The senator sees a serious mistake in the Trump administration's arrangement to return Russian diesel to the international market and ease sanctions. Together with other senators, he had earlier urged the president to drop it. The lawmakers said it would give Moscow extra revenue to continue the war, reduce allies' trust in the US, and bring Americans facing high fuel prices no real benefit.

Tillis also sharply criticised a possible three-way summit involving Trump, Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping, calling it absurd. News that Putin had proposed such a meeting raised concerns that Ukraine's future could be decided without Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Questions over military and intelligence support

Tillis wants to know whether Ukraine's access to intelligence and satellite communications technology has been deliberately reduced, including the "Starshield" system. It was developed by SpaceX on the basis of Starlink technology for military use. Together with Republican senators John Cornyn, Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski, he has asked the Pentagon's inspector general to determine whether a senior defence official ordered limits on assistance.

On 19 October, Zelensky told senators by phone that access to Starshield has not yet been fully restored, and voiced concern about deliveries of interceptor missiles for the Patriot air defence system. The Trump administration denies deliberately reducing aid.