DISINFO: Trump adopts Biden’s failed foreign policy on Ukraine in a win for the deep state
SUMMARY
The deep state wins again. It didn't take long for Trump to adopt Biden's failed foreign policy on Ukraine. Trump is still the leader of US global hegemony and he has to do what he can to save a US proxy regime in Kyiv. This was always inevitable. So it is either going to be sanctions, what Lindsey Graham calls “bone crushing sanctions”, which aren't. We've all seen that sanctions don't work, and there isn’t any reason additional sanctions will work.
RESPONSE
This is a mix of several recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narratives about sanctions, Ukraine’s alleged lack of sovereignty and a US deep state acting above elected officials. This disinformation story appeared as a direct reaction to the announcement on 11 July 2025 that the Trump Administration will allow US weapons to be sent to Ukraine through NATO countries that will pay for them.
The goal of this disinformation narrative is to undermine international aid for Ukraine’s self-defence against Russian aggression by portraying it as a 'failure' orchestrated by a so-called 'deep state' within the US administration, and as being contrary to the interests of ordinary citizens.
International support for Ukraine is a global response to Russia’s unprovoked invasion of its neighbour and not the result of a shadowy cabal of unelected groups powerful enough to force the hand of the US president, as this disinformation narrative suggests.
The ultimate goal of narratives on secret/global elites is to undermine democratic systems by framing regular citizens as powerless against these forces.
Ukraine is a sovereign and independent state with a democratically elected president and parliament, and other nations have no determining power over their decisions. Nonetheless, by accusing the Ukrainian government of being a “proxy US regime”, this disinformation story aims to further undermine Ukraine’s sovereignty and independence, part of the Kremlin’s real reasons for launching the war.
Arguments claiming that sanctions on Russia do not work and are only self-harming for those countries imposing them are a frequent feature of the pro-Kremlin media ecosystem. Finally, while there is some debate about the effectiveness of sanctions in stopping Russia’s war on Ukraine, there is ample evidence about the toll they are taking on the Russian economy. See also our article Inflation, stagflation, and spin – the Kremlin’s economic war propaganda.
See other examples of similar disinformation narratives, such as claims that the US Deep State feeds the Ukraine war, that the Deep State and other actors may sabotage Putin-Trump push for peace in Ukraine, that the US Deep State doesn't want war in Ukraine to end, that sanctions made the Russian economy stronger, or that Russia proves the great strength of its economy.