Former Senate Republican leader calls Trump "morally bankrupt" over Putin deal US President Donald Trump's attempts to end the war in Ukraine by "indulging" Russian ruler Vladimir Putin and limiting aid to Kiev are "doomed to failure." So said one of the veteran members of the American Congress, the Republican Mitch McConnell in a column in the "Wall Street Journal". He sharply criticized Trump for Russia "behaving quite normally towards Ukraine". The American leader said this in response to a comment that Moscow was violating the "energy truce" it had announced. McConnell called Trump's words "factually incorrect, strategically naive and morally bankrupt." "His unruly upbringing in Russia, where the aggressor is offered sanctions relief as a reward, will not make Mr Putin stop. History shows that such behavior gives confidence to the Russian autocrat, who perceives it as a sign of weakness," the senator noted. McConnell also warned that "the threat of cutting off security and intelligence assistance or access to critical satellite communications systems will not weaken Ukraine's will to defend itself, but may allow Putin to advance on the battlefield that has so far been elusive." As a result, this threatens to prolong, rather than end, the war, the congressman stressed. More details.