Here’s why Trump wants to make Ukraine a US economic colony

“I think this is going to go down pretty badly in Europe,” says Ian Bond, a former British diplomat who is deputy director of the London-based Centre for European Reform. “Trump basically appears to be acting as though the Americans have the right to seize Ukraine’s national assets, in return for the assistance that they have given so far.

“The fact is, if you look at the amount of aid that has been provided to Ukraine since the war began, although the US has provided more military assistance, the EU has provided much more financial and humanitarian assistance – something Trump essentially treats as non-existent.

“He is making a petty criminal’s play, like coming into a shop and saying: Nice little business you’ve got here, it would be a shame if something happened to it.

“It is an administration which is behaving like an organised crime syndicate.”

...“The Ukrainians will certainly be open to negotiation with the Americans,” says Bond. “There will be deals to be done which allow American companies into the market, no question about that, and I think that can co-exist [with Europe’s ambitions].

“But it’s a question of the terms on which it’s done and what America offers in return. And what Trump has offered so far is very little – except for threats.”