Trump's Ukraine Pressure Backfires Before US Midterms
Ahead of the US Congressional elections, Donald Trump is pressuring Ukraine with threats, intelligence restrictions, and Starlink access limits, but polls indicate this strategy is not helping his party and may be backfiring. Trump blames Ukrainian drone strikes on Russian refineries for high US fuel prices, deflecting from the Iran crisis, while his rhetoric against President Zelensky mirrors Kremlin narratives. Polls show only 29% of Americans would be more likely to vote Republican if gas prices dropped by one dollar, and Democrats have an 88.6% chance of winning the House majority. The "diesel deal" with Russia has sparked bipartisan criticism, including from 12 senators and former Vice President Mike Pence, while Ukraine faces risks of intelligence blockades and potential suspension of the PURL program that supplies Patriot PAC-3 interceptors.