The Pukka Exit

Pukka because it is final, genuine and deliberate, declared by the leader of the free world.

Trump had once threatened to walk away, frustrated by the parties’ intransigence, yet he kept returning to push for peace. Tuesday's move makes the exit pukka.

After speaking at the United Nations General Assembly with a broken teleprompter and escalator (metaphors for what is wrong with the august world body), President Trump took to his Truth Social site to air his views on the Russia-Ukraine war. In a nutshell, he announced that America would have no further role in the war, except to sell weapons to NATO, which the alliance could use as it deemed necessary.

After getting to know and fully understand the Ukraine/Russia Military and Economic situation and, after seeing the Economic trouble it is causing Russia, I think Ukraine, with the support of the European Union, is in a position to fight and WIN all of Ukraine back in its original form.

With time, patience, and the financial support of Europe and, in particular, NATO, the original Borders from where this War started, is very much an option. Why not?

Russia has been fighting aimlessly for three and a half years a War that should have taken a Real Military Power less than a week to win. This is not distinguishing Russia. In fact, it is very much making them look like "a paper tiger."

When the people living in Moscow, and all of the Great Cities, Towns, and Districts all throughout Russia, find out what is really going on with this War, the fact that it's almost impossible for them to get Gasoline through the long lines that are being formed, and all of the other things that are taking place in their War Economy, where most of their money is being spent on fighting Ukraine, which has Great Spirit, and only getting better, Ukraine would be able to take back their Country in its original form and, who knows, maybe even go further than that!

Putin and Russia are in BIG Economic trouble, and this is the time for Ukraine to act. In any event, I wish both Countries well. We will continue to supply weapons to NATO for NATO to do what they want with them. Good luck to all!

Our primary goal, in every editorial, going back to before the war even began in February 2022, was to stop the needless killing, destruction, and the humanitarian costs of the conflict. This goal has now turned on its head and could escalate into even more conflict, with both sides endlessly pursuing territorial gains, and the path to long-standing peace slipping away.

America will remain central to NATO as its founding member and anchor. The alliance’s political council is chaired by the Secretary-General, with ambassadors from all 32 member states present at the table. Beneath it, a U.S. general continues to lead NATO’s military operations. In practice, this means America’s hand still guides strategy, intelligence, and command, even as Trump insists Europe take on more of the burden.

Unlike every president in recent memory, President Trump's goal for decades has been to encourage Europe to shoulder more responsibilities on the Continent, and he deserves significant credit for his continued efforts despite considerable backlash. Seven years ago, at the UNGA in September 2018, the German delegation visibly smirked and laughed in response to Trump after he had warned Germany of its over-reliance on Russian energy via the Nord Stream 2 pipeline. Trump said: "Germany will become totally dependent on Russian energy if it does not immediately change course."

Their reaction was widely interpreted as mocking Trump's warning, which was especially poignant given Germany's 1.25% GDP defense spending at the time. Since the first EU sanctions after the start of the war, Germany has been reeling under extraordinarily high energy prices, as the country joined other European nations in weaning itself off Russian oil.

By 2024, twenty-three NATO members had finally met the alliance’s 2 percent of GDP defense spending target. Poland leads at over 4 percent. The United States contributes about 3.4 percent, still the largest in absolute terms at nearly a trillion dollars. Germany, once mocked for spending barely 1.25 percent, has been forced to raise its outlays after years of underinvestment and reliance on Russian energy. The burden is shifting, but Washington remains the indispensable paymaster.

America will also provide key intelligence, satellite, and surveillance technologies, as well as logistics leadership, to NATO to prosecute the war. All three elements have been deemed so essential that when Trump suspended support for a brief period earlier in the Spring, Russia was able to capture much more territory and overwhelm Ukrainian defense.

However, Trump's announcement is a welcome relief to the American taxpayer. There will be no more direct infusion of cash to the Ukrainian Treasury from Washington; no more direct transfer of weapons from our depots to Ukraine's battlefields, stockpiles which have to be replenished by our taxpayers.

During his speech, Trump railed against NATO allies, including the UK, for continuing to purchase Russian oil and gas, calling it "embarrassing" and a way of "funding the war against themselves." It was classic Trump, returning to the burdens of governing on the heels of his second state visit to the United Kingdom. Trump reiterated his readiness for harsher U.S. sanctions on Moscow but conditioned them on allies completely halting such imports, noting that the U.S. could supply alternatives.

In New Delhi, diplomats hoped Trump would lift the additional 25 percent tariff on Indian exports, imposed over Russian oil imports. India still faces a 25 percent base tariff on its core goods, even as talks continue. Officials point out that other buyers of Russian oil, including China, Turkey, Hungary, and the United Kingdom, are not subject to similar penalties. The episode highlights how sanctions are applied unevenly and complicate modern diplomacy.

Trump's announcement essentially shifted the Russia-Ukraine conflict to a regional war. If Ukraine continues to fight, its people will pay the price. If Europe wants to support Ukraine, it needs to provide military, financial, and personnel support without relying on the United States. Trump can now focus his efforts on tackling China while maintaining a largely neutral stance in the war.

Overall, it is a brilliant move by Trump to end an intractable eight-month search for peace.

📊 Market Mood — Thursday, September 25, 2025

🟢 Cautious Trading Ahead of Key Data
Futures were flat as investors weighed Powell’s guarded comments, strong housing data, and awaited GDP, jobless claims, and Friday’s PCE inflation print.

🟡 Corporate Earnings in Focus
Accenture and Jabil headline pre-market earnings, with both expected to highlight AI-driven demand as investors look for guidance on tech and consulting resilience.

🟣 Policy & Geopolitics Linger
Reports suggest Trump will sign an executive order blessing a U.S. deal for TikTok, while gold steadied near $3,750 on softer dollar tones and rate-cut hopes.

📅 Key Events Today

🟧 Thursday, September 25
08:30 – Durable Goods Orders (MoM, Aug)
Orders for long-lasting manufactured goods.
08:30 – GDP (QoQ, Q2)
Quarterly economic growth rate.
08:30 – Initial Jobless Claims
Weekly count of new unemployment claims.
10:00 – Existing Home Sales (Aug)
Monthly sales of previously owned homes.