Simon Schama, a well-known British historian, has said President Donald Trump’s halting of military aid and sharing of intelligence to Ukraine benefits Russian President Vladimir Putin. Schama added that it bears similarities to the signing of the Munich Agreement, in an interview with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
Newsweek reached out to the U.S. Department of State for comment via email outside of business hours.
Why It Matters
Trump’s halting of aid and the sharing of U.S.-generated intelligence to Ukraine will likely cost the United States its allies in Europe and cause more casualties in Ukraine as Kyiv will not have the resources to repel Russian attacks.
Political commentators have already said that a Russian strike on a hotel in Kryvyi Rih, Ukraine, is to be blamed on the U.S. halting its intelligence sharing with Ukraine.
What To Know
In his interview with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation on March 4, regarding the White House’s decision to halt aid to Ukraine and stop sharing U.S.-generated intelligence, Schama said: “This is one of those days of massive historical importance, world historical importance. It is a day of horrible infamy. It feels like being around the day the Munich Agreement was signed between Neville Chamberlain and Hitler, and it’s world overturning, really.”
The Munich Agreement was signed in 1938 by former U.K. Prime Minister Chamberlain, Hitler, French Prime Minister Édouard Daladier, and Benito Mussolini of the Italian Social Republic. It allowed Hitler, leader of the Nazi Party, to annex a strategic region of Czechoslovakia as an appeasement designed to avoid an armed conflict that would ultimately occur.
Schama added that the White House’s decision could “be something that signals a catastrophic endgame for the defense of the democracies.” He added that these decisions by the White House are “monstrously destructive.”
The historian’s comments are in reference to Trump’s decision to halt all U.S. military aid to Ukraine following his explosive White House meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on February 28. Trump administration officials said that the president would restore aid to Ukraine when he could determine that Kyiv is committed to peace.
In an interview with Fox News, regarding restoring the provision of aid to Ukraine, Mike Waltz, White House national security adviser, said: “I think, if we can nail down these negotiations and move toward these negotiations, and in fact, put some confidence-building measures on the table, then the president will take a hard look at lifting this pause.”
Trump also banned allies, including the U.K., from sharing U.S.-generated intelligence with Ukraine following his meeting with Zelensky. CIA Director John Ratcliffe hinted that this measure could also be lifted if Washington works with Ukraine toward peace.
Even after Zelensky wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, that he is ready to “come to the negotiating table as soon as possible” to achieve peace and work with the Trump administration, the president kept the aid ban in place.
Trump’s decisions have sparked backlash from European allies. Valérie Hayer, the president of the Renew Europe group in the European Parliament, told The New York Times: “The United States was the pillar around which peace was managed, but it has changed alliance. Trump mouths the propaganda of Putin. We have entered a new epoch.”
What People Are Saying
In a post on X, Schama wrote: “With this monstrous act Trump has made the United States a military ally of Vladimir Putin’s Russia in its brutal and murderous war of aggression against Ukraine. One of the darkest, most shameful days in American history. Both FDR and Reagan spinning in their graves.”
Tymofiy Mylovanov, president of the Kyiv School of Economics, in a series of posts, wrote on X: “Trump has but cut off weapons and intel to Ukraine, per CIA and FT. The intel freeze is brutal—no more strikes on high-value moving targets. But on stage yesterday, he smiled and read Zelensky’s letter about peace.”
Mylovanov added: “So, Trump doesn’t trust Zelensky is completely serious about negotiations. He’s also keeping the pressure because he wants Zelensky to agree to whatever conditions Trump negotiates with Putin. People will die. Zelensky is willing to pay the price in lives lost to protect Ukraine’s red lines. Trump is willing to let him—and to push even harder on the future if Zelensky doesn’t comply. So, the conflict is far from over.”
Dylan Williams, the vice president for Government Affairs at the Centre for International Policy, wrote on X: “Trump stopped the intelligence sharing that helps Ukraine target Russian forces launching deadly attacks. He cut off the US security aid Ukraine needs to defend itself from them. He emboldened Putin by extorting Ukraine. This blood is on Trump’s hands.”
What Happens Next
Trump has not commented on Schama’s statement. The war between Russia and Ukraine could continue to escalate following the Trump administration’s decisions; Schama said, referencing the Munich Agreement, that, “when you do reward aggression, it guarantees another round of aggression.”
The post Trump’s Putin Boost Like Hitler’s Final Deal: Top Historian appeared first on Newsweek.
