Trump's actions betray U.S. commitments to Ukraine — analyst

Andreas Umland, analyst at the Stockholm Center for Eastern European Studies, expressed this opinion on Espreso TV.

“I have a very negative impression of the conversation between Putin and Trump — at least based on what Trump wrote on his account and how he presented it. It’s important to remember that this entire situation is happening in the context of the U.S. once pressuring Ukraine to give up its nuclear weapons,” Umland said.

He noted that in the early 1990s, Ukraine had missiles on its territory, including intercontinental ballistic missiles, some of which were aimed at the U.S. Eventually, an agreement was reached to provide Ukraine with security guarantees.

“Today, Trump is acting contrary to those agreements, and that can be seen as a betrayal of the commitments the U.S. made to Ukraine at the time,” Umland emphasized.

• President Donald Trump privately praised Ukraine's recent drone strike on Russian air bases as "strong" and "badass," sources told Axios. But he also worries the move could derail peace efforts.