Fastest Route, ©2025 William L. Brown.
The Financial Times caused a fuss when it published a report that, according to two sources, in a July 4 phone call US President Trump asked Ukraine President Zelensky if, given long range weapons, he could hit Moscow and St. Petersburg, Russia. Zelensky, whose forces have already hit Russian target in and around those cities with drone attacks, said yes, he could. The implication was that Trump was sufficiently annoyed with Putin’s failure to settle Russia’s war, that he was urging the Ukrainians to punish Putin with a severe bombing attack.
The Financial Times has a paywall, but here is a Reuters report on it.
President Trump quickly denied the report’s implication. His press secretary gave the Financial Times a tongue-lashing. “The Financial Times is notorious for taking words wildly out of context to get clicks because their paper is dying,” She said Trump was “merely asking a question.” As reported on the BBC and Ukrinform.
This might be a deliberate leak-and-denial. Since Trump officially denies he made a threat, the Russians can’t officially object, but even in denial the threat lingers—much as though Trump had said “Nice city you got there, it would be a shame if somebody were to bomb it.”
It’s nice to think that’s what Trump is up to, but the denial is more in line with his reluctance to pressure Putin, and his reluctance to take on what he misleadingly calls “Biden’s War.”
On a personal note, there isn’t much time to write this week and probably the next few. The house I bought last spring is nearing completion of remodeling. From not into early August I’ll be busy with that, and with moving. Also I’ll be happily busy with a family gathering the first week of August.
I’ll leave you with a post from 5_minute_with.