Ukraine, following guarantees from the US and Europe, had surrendered its nuclear deterrent which seems to have mistakenly persuaded Russia’s president Vladimir Putin that the country was “up for grabs”. Kyiv is entitled to receive assistance from the US and Europe of whatever nature is needed to repulse the Russian invader – something I quite understand Trump does not understand. The Strait of Hormuz was open, had been for some time, and would have remained so, had Trump, along with Israel, not launched an unprovoked attack on Iran. A military analyst of three weeks’ standing would have forecast that the Iranians would retaliate by closing the Strait – something I quite understand Trump did not. These are just a few of the things Trump does not understand.

Source: The Irish Times April 01, 2026 12:32 UTC