Vladimir Putin served in the KGB for 15 years as a foreign intelligence and security officer. He is a murderous dictator and a war criminal. His invasion of Ukraine has caused much death and destruction. In sum, he is not a nice man. He is cruel and ruthless, exactly the qualities expected in a former KGB man. Yet, Donald Trump gets along better with this war criminal than with Canadian leaders. Trump makes no secret of his contempt for benign, democratic Canada. He and his cronies constantly belittle and bully America's northern neighbour. He tries to punish Canada economically with tariffs that are a tax on consumers in the United States. He continually attempts to undermine Canada's sovereignty.
Trump treats Putin much differently. He rarely criticizes the Russian leader and treats him like a good friend. He wants his pal Vladdy to attend the 2026 G20 leaders' summit scheduled to take place December 14-15 in Doral Florida, at the Trump National Doral Miami resort. Where else? Of course, Trump has said he'd like Putin to attend. this gathering of heads of states and governments. Russia is still a member of the G20. However, Putin has not been welcomed at a G-20 leaders' summit since his full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February of 2022
On August 31, 2026, Russia representatives participated in a G20 summit in North Carolina. Russia's finance minister, Anton Siluanov, as well as representatives of the Russian Central Bank, attended at the invitation of Donald Trump. According to The New York Times, Siluanov's invitation and attendance were not announced prior to the meeting. German vice-chancellor and finance minister Lars Klingbeil demanded that Russia end the war in Ukraine. "I find the signal sent by receiving the Russian finance minister here quite troubling, In a statement to reporters, Klingbeil said, "I would have wanted greater clarity from the American side that he should not be received here as a normal guest."
Donald Trump defends Putin at every opportunity. The two men are cut from the same cloth. They are both heartless and they both consider themselves to be alpha males. Furthermore, Trump admires dictators such as Putin and Kim Jong Il of North Korea. It is also highly probable that Russia is holding something over Trump's head, that Putin is aware of some deep, dark secret that the American commander-in-sleaze is desperate to keep hidden. In addition, the Putin-influenced Deutcshe Bank lent Trump an enormous amount of money after his casinos went bankrupt.
Back in January of 2017, Buzz Feed News, revealed the existence of the Steele dossier, also known ad the Trump-Russia dossier, which alleges a connection between Trump cohorts and Russia. Trump lied, of course, and denied that he had any financial connections to Russia.
It is not surprising that Trump has said the Putin is "not looking to attack NATO territory," even though there was a drone strike attempt at an airport for which allies, such as the UK, claimed Russian responsibility. He is indebted to Russia.
I am delighted that Prime Minister Mark Carney has said he is prepared to tell Vladimir Putin "to get our of Ukraine" if Putin decides to accept Trump's invitation to the Florida G20 summit. "He only understands strength and directness, Carney stated when asked about Putin at a press conference in Thunder Bay, Ontario. I really hope that the PM follows through with that. It is reminiscent of when Ronald Reagan told Mikhail Gorbachev to tear down the Berlin Wall. I would be greatly pleased to read a headline that read "Canadian prime minister tells Putin to get out of Ukraine."
- Joanne
