Former UK Intelligence Chief Says Vladimir Putin Has 'Played Trump Like A Violin'

Trump and Putin.Vladimir Putin has “played Donald Trump like a violin” over Ukraine, according to a former British intelligence boss.Sir Alex Younger, who was the head of MI6 between 2014 and 2020, said the Russian president is going to make his US counterpart “look like a Muppet” by continuing to bomb its neighbour.But he said Putin risks “overplaying his hand” if he does not make serious efforts to end the war, as Trump has demanded.Trump has vowed to make a “major statement” about the war in Ukraine on Monday as he plans to send more weapons to help Kyiv defend itself.Responding to Russian drones bombing a Ukrainian maternity hospital last week, the US president said: “You’ll be seeing things happening.”On BBC2′s Newsnight on Friday, Sir Alex said: ”[Putin] is an intelligence officer, I think he’s played Trump like a violin so far. He’s created this idea that they’re mates and that they’re equivalent and they can solve all the world’s problems together.“But it’s becoming very clear to Donald Trump that Putin has no other plan other than to subjugate Ukraine and he’s going to make Trump look like a Muppet if he continues, and that’s not acceptable.“The evidence is he is overplaying his hand and he doesn’t have a military solution. We’re three years in, he’s lost a million men and he’s got less territory than he did in 22. Trump is his only answer and he’s playing it very dangerous here.”“He’s going to make Trump look like a muppet if he continues.”Ex MI6 head, Sir Alex Younger, tells @bbcpaddy that President Putin may have overplayed his hand.#Newsnightpic.twitter.com/RY5aXBv93k— BBC Newsnight (@BBCNewsnight) July 10, 2025Trump’s attitude towards Putin has undergone a dramatic shift since he re-entered the White House in January.When Putin first launched its offensive into Ukraine back in February 2022, Trump – who had been ousted from office the year before – called the ruthless land grab “savvy” and “genius”.But the tide appeared to change in spring this year after Moscow launched the deadliest strike on Ukraine since last summer. In a much-mocked moment, he wrote on social media: “Vladimir, STOP!”At the start of July, he spoke to Putin on the phone and said he was “disappointed” in the Russian leader and that he did not believe Moscow would end the war.And last week he said: “We get a lot of bullshit thrown at us by Putin, if you want to know the truth.“He’s very nice all the time, but it turns out to be meaningless.”But Keir Giles, senior consulting fellow of Chatham House’s Russia and Eurasia programme, told HuffPost UK: “Every time Trump expresses frustration with Putin, there is a surge of optimism across Western media that he may finally have had enough of being laughed at by the Kremlin, and consequently his consistent policy of doing nothing that might offend Russia might change.“But every time these hopes are disappointed, as the brief flash of irritation in a social media post or a throwaway comment comes to nothing – no measures against Moscow, no renewed support for Kyiv.”Related...Putin's Spokesperson Tries To Gaslight The West Again With Latest Peace ClaimTrump Just Called Out Putin's 'Bulls***' – But Don't Expect Anything To Change In UkraineTrump Accuses His Benefactor Putin Of Spewing ‘Bullshit’ About Ukraine Invasion

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