Trump Abandons Ukraine As He Staffs Up With Putin Assets

Hegseth “Too Busy” For Critical Ukraine Meeting For the first time since its creation, America's defense secretary will not attend the Ukraine Defense Contact Group meeting. Pete Hegseth's unprecedented absence as over 50 nations coordinate military support signals deliberate abandonment of allied coordination while simultaneously confirming Michael Duffey—the architect of Trump's first-term Ukraine aid freeze—as undersecretary of defense for acquisition and sustainment. Duffey now oversees the very military aid programs he once blocked for political purposes.This isn't policy disagreement; it's strategic realignment. Hegseth abandons multilateral Ukraine support while installing the official who previously weaponized aid as leverage against Kyiv. The message to allies is unmistakable: America under Trump serves different interests than Ukrainian defense or alliance coordination.Narativ with Zev Shalev is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Kremlin Assets Dismantle Counter-Intelligence OperationsThe institutional capture extends beyond Ukraine policy. Darren Beattie, who dismantled the State Department's Russia disinformation agency, is married to Yulia Kirillova—whose uncle has been thanked by Putin and held Kremlin posts. Beattie, previously ousted for white nationalist ties and known for pro-Kremlin propaganda, was entrusted with destroying America's counter-disinformation capabilities.This represents textbook authoritarian infiltration: place compromised officials in positions specifically designed to neutralize threats to hostile foreign interests. While Russia wages information warfare globally, America's defenses are dismantled by officials with direct family connections to the Kremlin. The cumulative effect isn't accidental—it's coordinated capture.Oligarchic Corruption Reaches Historic LevelsElizabeth Warren's report documents 130 acts of corruption by Elon Musk during his first 130 days in government—averaging nearly one corrupt act per day. Musk uses public power to enrich his companies, install loyalists, and dismantle oversight while essentially running a parallel government operation. This mirrors Russian oligarchy where business leaders capture state functions for private gain.The corruption isn't peripheral to authoritarian strategy; it's central to it. Oligarchs don't just benefit from authoritarian systems—they become essential mechanisms for maintaining power by controlling economic levers while traditional democratic institutions are systematically dismantled.Civil Service Purges AccelerateTrump's new rule allows five-day firing of federal employees flagged for "misconduct," including leaks or refusal to testify. This acceleration of civil service purges removes career professionals who might resist political pressure while installing loyalists throughout government bureaucracy. The timeline is deliberately rapid to prevent resistance or legal challenges.Historical purges follow this pattern: first eliminate institutional memory and professional expertise, then replace with political appointees who serve personal rather than national interests. The five-day rule ensures swift elimination of anyone who might provide continuity, oversight, or resistance to authoritarian consolidation.The Coordinated PatternDay 135 reveals synchronized authoritarian capture across four critical areas: foreign policy subordination to hostile interests, institutional infiltration by compromised officials, oligarchic corruption of government functions, and systematic purging of professional civil service. Each development serves the same strategic purpose—dismantling democratic governance in favor of authoritarian control serving foreign adversaries.The Ukrai