Trump in a Bubble of Illusions: How His Decisions Threaten Ukraine and Why a Summit with Putin Would Be a Disaster

Donald Trump deliberately lifted sanctions against Russia to secure the release of a single American, acting like a “king” rather than a statesman. This demonstrates the politician’s willingness to undermine U.S. institutional mechanisms for the sake of quick publicity. The politician has found himself in a state of information isolation, ignores intelligence reports, and is willing to make disastrous deals with dictators – a move that jeopardizes not only Ukraine but the entire Western alliance.

Andriy Dobryansky, a representative of the U.S.-Ukraine Relations Center, spoke exclusively to 24 Channel about Trump’s influence on American politics, the investigation into Elon Musk, and possible secret negotiations with Russia. The expert also explained why Washington is delaying the transfer of Patriot systems and how Russia is attempting to interfere in the U.S. midterm elections.

What are the consequences of Trump’s information isolation?

Donald Trump is trapped in a unique information bubble that drastically distorts his perception of geopolitics and the war in Ukraine.

Instead of relying on official reports from the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and other security agencies, he prefers print articles brought to him by his advisors. The main criterion for selecting these materials is that they praise Trump himself and confirm his preconceptions.

This leads to utterly absurd situations. For example, Trump sincerely suspects that Ukraine is striking Russian oil refineries is not intended to dismantle the Kremlin’s war machine, but solely to influence the U.S. elections and harm the Republicans.

He isn’t interested in Russia’s daily attacks on Ukrainian cities; instead, he focuses on information that fuels his irritation with Ukraine. As a result, his position may change from day to day, but it is always based on manipulative articles rather than objective truth.

Even after phone calls with Vladimir Putin, Trump remains under the illusion of a “peaceful dialogue,” ignoring the fact that immediately after these calls, Russia continues its missile attacks.

This approach to information translates into extremely dangerous political decisions. A striking example is the situation at on the release of American Stephen Hubbard.

Trump effectively lifted the sanctions against Russia provided for in Lindsey Graham’s bill in exchange for the release of a single person. This sends a clear signal to the Kremlin: it is acceptable to capture innocent people and exchange them for global concessions in U.S. legislation.

Trump is trying to act like an absolute monarch, ignoring partners and long-term consequences. Another example is blocking the transfer to Ukraine of missiles for the Patriot systems, which had already been paid for with European funds.

Blocking the delivery of weapons that have already been purchased casts a huge shadow on the United States’ reputation. No country will want to sign long-term defense contracts with Washington if there is a risk of not receiving paid-for goods due to the whims of a single politician.

Trust in America’s word, built up over decades, is rapidly crumbling. The U.S. leader is beginning to resemble autocrats for whom personal satisfaction and political gain take precedence over justice and international law.

Full interview with Dobryansky: watch the video

Why will a meeting with Putin and Xi turn into a nightmare for the American leader?

Against this backdrop, the Kremlin is trying to use the situation to its advantage by promoting the idea of trilateral talks involving the U.S., Ukraine, and Russia. Steve Witkoff's Meeting with Putin is part of this game.

The Russian dictator is seeking to obtain a political memorandum that would cement his victory with Trump’s assistance. However, these attempts have nothing to do with real diplomacy.

Witkoff is not a professional diplomat, and his task is purely political: to sign any document at all for quick publicity. A genuine diplomatic track requires painstaking weekly work by specialists, which simply does not exist at the moment.

Trump uses rhetoric about peace solely as a smokescreen. He has no interest in a genuine resolution of the conflict; he has not communicated with the President of Ukraine for months and intervenes in the war only when he needs to shift the domestic news agenda in the U.S.

At the same time, the most dangerous scenario for Ukraine and the entire Western alliance could be a potential meeting between Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin, and Xi Jinping. Interestingly, neither Russia nor China is interested in honest agreements with the U.S. – their global goal is to destroy American influence.

If such a summit takes place, it would be a true nightmare. Trump would approach these negotiations from the weakest possible position: having lost international support, facing domestic economic problems, and with low political approval ratings.

In this state, in his quest for even the slightest “victory,” he is capable of signing any agreement proposed by dictators, without proper discussion or protection of his allies’ interests. History already offers examples of Trump agreeing to his opponents’ terms in a matter of minutes simply because he was unwilling to engage in complex negotiations.

Why is the U.S. president afraid of election interference?

In addition to external threats, the situation is complicated by internal processes in the U.S. Trump is preparing for unprecedented interference in the electoral process: from attempts to enlist ICE border agents to intimidate voters at polling stations to unconstitutional demands to have ballots forwarded to the FBI for personal review.

At the same time, Russia has launched a large-scale online disinformation campaign in an attempt to undermine politicians who support Ukraine. However, this strategy is backfiring: Republicans who opposed aid to Kyiv are rapidly losing support, while pro-Ukrainian candidates are gaining ground.

This offers hope that the new Congress will shake off the radical influence of the MAGA wing. The unchecked influence of large corporations on geopolitics remains a separate issue.

Limitations of the Starlink System The provision of drones to Ukraine on Elon Musk’s personal orders is an unprecedented case of a single businessman changing the course of a war. This situation will likely be the subject of a serious investigation in Congress after the New Year, as Musk’s actions were coordinated with certain circles but may have violated contracts with the U.S. government.