When scores of cars parked in German streets from Berlin to Bavaria began being sabotaged with expanding construction foam sprayed in their exhaust pipes, police suspected fanatical environmentalists. This was not surprising since stickers left on the vehicles showed Robert Habeck – the Green Party candidate for chancellor in this month’s parliamentary election in Germany – with the slogan “Be Greener”.
But when four men were arrested after 43 more vehicles were attacked, one confessed they had been recruited online by a mysterious Russian who had given them detailed instructions along with a promise of €100 (£83) for every damaged car.
The sabotage, revealed earlier this month, appears to be one more incident in the barrage of “grey zone” attacks across Europe, from fires in arms factories and shopping malls through to undersea cable-cutting. They are hard to pin down as hostile enemy acts.
Yet, German intelligence warns the Kremlin is increasingly using paid proxies to weaken democracies, winkle open divisions, spread disinformation and assist local patsies. The target this time was a party that firmly backs Ukraine on the eve of a critical election for Europe, with alarmingly strong support for pro-Russian parties on both political extremes.
This was the backdrop for last week’s Munich security conference where former Fox News pundit Pete Hegseth – risibly punted into the post of United States Defence Secretary – suddenly said Russia could keep its stolen chunks of Ukraine and stop Kyiv joining Nato. Hours later, his boss Donald Trump said he had called Vladimir Putin to offer the Kremlin a dream peace deal, brushing aside its atrocities in Ukraine while ludicrously talking of trusting the former KGB operative.
The next day Trump’s Vice President claimed the greatest threat facing our continent came not from Russia and China but “from within” through denial of free speech – before doing his best to boost a local far-right party, classified as extremist by intelligence chiefs, days before the election.
Truly, we live in Orwellian times. Trump talks of making America great and boasts of being a brilliant dealmaker, yet jeopardises his nation’s security while looking the most pathetic dupe at negotiations. His deputy JD Vance lectures Europe on democracy while serving a felon that he once compared with Hitler and who sought to usurp an election, then poses as a defender of freedom while their administration targets critics at home and assists pro-Russian parties abroad.
Meanwhil,e their favourite oligarch Elon Musk, running rampage through the federal government, pontificates on free speech while cuddling up to a sinister Communist regime in China that crushes domestic criticism in order to protect his commercial interests.
There are reports that Marco Rubio, US Secretary of State, is discussing the unilateral removal of some sanctions with Russia. The stench of hypocrisy is overwhelming – although in truth the West has not really covered itself in glory with such hesitant and limited support for Kyiv that hampered efforts to liberate territory. Now Trump sells out Ukraine before our eyes – a nation with sad misfortune to find itself on the frontline of an era-defining struggle between democracy and dictatorship, yet bravely managing to expose Russia’s weaknesses with its military prowess.
It is worth noting, incidentally, that Moscow’s advance in the Donbas has slowed down this year with losses reportedly at record levels, while it has failed to recover the captured Kursk region and its economy looks increasingly shaky despite glaring holes in Western sanctions.
Trump offered key concessions to the Kremlin without anything in return, while his administration is turning its back on Europe as it threatens our security through appeasement. The White House is sending a signal to Putin that – once he has rebuilt his battered yet battle-hardened and bigger military – he can continue his clearly-stated mission to revive Moscow’s empire, whether launching fresh assaults on Kyiv or hybrid attacks in the Baltic States.
Belarus is already in the bag. Georgia is sliding into its arms. Hungary and Slovakia are neutered. Now Washington has ended Putin’s pariah status and threatened the transatlantic Nato alliance while proclaiming to the world that might is right, and corroding Western credibility. We can only imagine the joy he brought the Kremlin.
This will be noted by other aggressors, especially in Beijing where eyes are fixed on Taiwan. We should not be surprised, however. The damage from Trump’s first term was checked by his chaotic approach and aides with sensible world views. But the tycoon made it clear that if he won again, he would purge foes and rely on devout loyalists.
The model for many in his Maga crowd is Viktor Orbán’s “illiberal democracy” in Hungary – which is stifling media criticism, dismantling institutions and undermining judicial independence while being friendly to Russia. Trump’s choice of Vance was cheered in Moscow; he has resisted aid for Kyiv and said “I don’t really care what happens to Ukraine”, calling it “a corrupt nation run by oligarchs” (underlining again the Orwellian nature of our times, given events in Washington).
Andrew Gwynne's messages prove it - politicians are laughing at us
Read MoreRussia’s attack on Ukraine was never really about Nato. It was about Ukraine’s desire to join a democratic Europe and Putin’s determination to keep it under his thumb. At the weekend President Volodymyr Zelensky firmly stated: “I believe in Europe.” So where does Britain stand now as the chasm grows between Europe and a US regime seemingly so contemptuous of our values?
Certainly Britain must do everything possible to help find a security deal that protects Ukraine, ensuring surviving regions can try to build a free and prosperous future. Sir Keir Starmer, like other European leaders, has the unenviable task of trying to nudge Trump away from Putin’s manipulation while fending off US tariffs. Anything could still happen, such is his unpredictability.
But while Ukraine’s valour deserves so much better from its allies, Trump has never hidden his demand for Europe to look after its own interests and is right about our urgent need to ramp up spending on defence. There can be no illusions now: these are dangerous times for democracies, threatened by both bullying demagogues and emboldened dictators.
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