It’s not your imagination, Trump siding with Putin on Ukraine is scary

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Graham said on Wednesday: “When it comes to blame for the Russian invasion of Ukraine, I blame Putin above all others.” But among American leaders, he added, Democrats Joe Biden and Barack Obama “were pathetically weak in handling Putin and failed to protect Ukraine from invasion”.

Graham stood by Trump as “Ukraine’s best hope to end this war honourably and justly”, adding that he would “achieve this goal in the Trump way”.

The familiar defence of Trump’s indulgences – “that’s just how he rolls” – is doing a lot of work these days. Can there be a master strategy at play where cosying up to Putin yields a better, or even just, outcome for Ukraine?

Or is it more likely Trump’s departure from the liberal democratic order – his endorsement of an autocratic and aggressive regime – will embolden despots everywhere and make the world less safe, peaceful and prosperous? And what must Beijing make of all this?

On Wednesday, as Trump announced he would rescind federal approval for New York City’s new congestion pricing scheme, the White House posted from its official accounts: “CONGESTION PRICING IS DEAD. Manhattan, and all of New York, is SAVED. LONG LIVE THE KING!”

It accompanied the post with an image of Trump wearing a crown against a backdrop of New York’s skyline.

These are frightening times. The president linking arms with foreign autocrats and portraying himself as a sovereign king warrants strong resistance both at home and abroad. But who will provide the leadership to match the moment?

Not the Democrats, who are still reeling from November’s election defeat and unsure of how to tackle Trump’s second coming. Republicans are mostly in thrall to their president, despite their reluctance to entertain Putin. Roger Wicker, chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee that oversees the Pentagon, said on Thursday the Russian leader should be in jail or executed.

Globally, it’s difficult to picture Britain’s Starmer, a rookie prime minister already floundering at home, rising to the occasion – though he has shown a willingness to put British troops on the ground in Ukraine.

Among European leaders, it’s surely Macron, the relatively long-serving French president, who must step up – and he did so on Friday (AEDT), with a strong message that he and his counterparts would take responsibility.

“I have had once again a long conversation with several colleagues from the European Union, as well as from Canada, Iceland, and Norway. France and its partners have a clear and united position,” he said.

“We seek a long-lasting and solid peace in Ukraine. We stand with Ukraine and will take full responsibility to ensure peace and security in Europe. This is the fundamental interest of France, and I am its guarantor.”