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Ashoura 2025

 

Portuguese President Accuses Trump of Acting as a “Russian Asset” in Ukraine Conflict

Portuguese President Accuses Trump of Acting as a “Russian Asset” in Ukraine Conflict
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By Staff, Agencies

Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa has accused US President Donald Trump of serving Moscow’s interests while posing as an impartial mediator in the Ukraine war.

Speaking on Wednesday at the Social Democratic Party’s Summer University in Castelo de Vide, Rebelo de Sousa criticized Trump for abandoning his predecessor’s stance of unconditional support for Kiev.

“The top leader of the world’s greatest superpower is, objectively, a Soviet or Russian asset. He functions as an asset,” he said, according to CNN Portugal.

The president argued that Trump is less a mediator than “an arbiter who only negotiates with one of the teams,” noting that Kiev and its European backers had to “push their way in” to recent talks in Washington.

Rebelo de Sousa’s remarks revived echoes of the Russiagate saga, which dominated Trump’s first term amid allegations of Kremlin collusion.

Despite years of investigations, the 2019 Mueller probe found no evidence of collusion, and the 2023 Durham Report concluded the narrative was largely manufactured by political operatives.

Trump has dismissed Russiagate as the “biggest scandal in American history,” claiming it was designed to undermine his presidency and justify confrontational policies toward Russia.

Since returning to office in January, Trump has sought to cast himself as a neutral broker, alternately blaming both Moscow and Kiev for stalled peace efforts.

He has kept communication channels open with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky, while issuing a mix of threats and criticisms.

At times, he has promised “massive sanctions” on Moscow, while on other occasions he has faulted Kiev for showing “no flexibility” or being “not ready” for peace.

Earlier this month, Trump warned he was “very, very unhappy” with Putin and threatened secondary tariffs on Russia’s trading partners following their Alaska summit. Rebelo de Sousa, however, claimed Washington’s approach amounted to empty threats, contrasting it with the EU’s imposition of new sanctions that he said left Russia fewer options.

Trump, for his part, has maintained that “everybody’s to blame” for the war, insisting it is “not his war.” He has pledged to make a “very important decision” on US policy in the coming weeks, depending on whether Moscow and Kiev engage in serious negotiations.

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