Trump has a pattern. Undermine global unity. Cozy up to strongmen. And make sure the American people are too distracted, too confused, or too overwhelmed to fight back.
I want you to know what just happened, because almost no one’s talking about it. The headlines are all about Trump’s budget bill, the immigration raids, or whether American airstrikes actually crippled Iran’s nuclear sites. All of that matters, no question.
But something else just happened, quietly, under the radar. And it deserves your full attention. On June 27, the U.S. Treasury issued General License 115B. It looks like a routine change to sanctions policy. It’s not. It’s a massive handout to Putin, a blow to our credibility, and another red flag waving under Trump’s 2025 presidency, one that puts our national security and our role in the world in serious danger.
Under this new license, the U.S. is allowing transactions with major Russian banks, yes, the same ones that prop up Putin’s regime, when the money is tied to civil nuclear energy projects that started before November 2024. Gazprombank, Sberbank, VTB, and even Russia’s central bank now get a carve-out from sanctions, as long as the purpose looks peaceful on paper.
I believe this is more than a technical allowance. It’s a signal. A signal to our allies that American leadership is fractured. A signal to our adversaries that economic pressure can be bought off with the right framing. And a signal to Putin that despite everything, the war crimes, the political assassinations, the illegal invasions, we’re still willing to do business with him.
Let’s be clear. This doesn’t just impact Russian banks. It helps projects like Hungary’s €12 billion Paks-2 nuclear power plant, built in partnership with Russia’s Rosatom. Geopolitical influence, paid for and stamped with American permission.
Now I understand why some people might defend this decision. Civil nuclear power can help reduce emissions. It supports energy stability for U.S. allies. It keeps countries like Hungary from turning to even more authoritarian partners like China. But those arguments ignore the real cost.
Here’s what I, and many others see.
This decision gives Russian state banks breathing room, banks that are weapons of the Kremlin. They fund operations that destabilize democracies. They bankroll propaganda and surveillance and political meddling. Letting them back into legitimate global financial transactions, even in limited form, isn’t smart diplomacy. It’s surrender.
Rosatom, the Russian company at the center of many of these nuclear deals, is a tech firm but it’s also a political tool. It expands Russian presence in strategic regions. It gives Putin leverage in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. When America opens the door for Rosatom to keep moving forward, we’re handing our geopolitical leverage back to a dictator who thrives on division and chaos.
And that’s the deeper issue here. Every time Trump finds a way to walk back sanctions or soften restrictions on Russia, he’s weakening the pressure that took years to build. He’s rewarding aggression. He’s making it harder for democratic countries to stand together. He’s breaking the trust of allies who have stood with us for decades.
This is both bad policy and dangerous leadership.
I’m not surprised. This is the same Trump who called Putin smart while Ukraine burned. The same Trump who tried to pull us out of NATO. The same Trump who thinks “America First” means “America Alone.”
He has a pattern. Undermine global unity. Cozy up to strongmen. And make sure the American people are too distracted, too confused, or too overwhelmed to fight back.
I believe decisions like this one will come back to haunt us. They give our adversaries room to grow. They sow distrust among our allies. And they set a precedent that the rules we claim to care about, human rights, democracy, accountability, are negotiable when there’s money or influence involved.
And let’s not forget the timing. When Trump greenlit General License 115B less than six months into his second presidency, it was a deliberate signal to the world, and to his base, about how he plans to handle Russia going forward.
I’m worried. I’m worried about what we’re normalizing. I’m worried that my fellow Americans don’t see how dangerous this drift is. And I’m worried that if we don’t start speaking out, louder and faster, we’re going to wake up in a country that no longer leads, no longer inspires, and no longer protects the values we claim to stand for.
The Treasury Department should be protecting American credibility, not giving special passes to Putin’s financial backers.
The President should be defending democracy, not making side deals with autocrats.
And we, the people, should be paying attention, because every move like this chips away at something bigger than a license or a loan or a single plant in Hungary.
It chips away at who we are.
It chips away at our strength.
And it chips away at the future we’re supposed to be building for our kids and grandkids.
If we let this go unchallenged, what else are we willing to look away from?
I believe the answer to that question will define the next decade and frankly, many generations to come.
Let’s make sure we’re not sleepwalking into another disaster. Let’s hold this administration accountable. Let’s remind the world that American values aren’t for sale, not to Russia, not to anyone.
And let’s not forget who made this decision.
Donald Trump handed Putin another win.
It’s up to us to stop the next one.
Mitch Jackson, Esq. | links
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This is the second thing I’ve read of yours today and the second time I felt my agreement all the way in my DNA. The funny thing is, before I totally screwed up my life I thought I was going to be a constitutional lawyer. I loved the constitution more than I loved the Bible. Now, I’m getting to be a constitutional lawyer alright - with myself both lawyer and client. I don’t understand what has happened to objective fact. Anyway - I don’t know what we do from here, but so far the constitution is taking a beating and I don’t see anybody willing to do more than talk themselves into pretzels trying to assert that somehow we’re going to fix this at the midterms? Jeez there may not be a PLANET in 2026, much less an election. Clearly we are not all seeing clearly.
I keep thinking there’s something I should do, need to do, etc. but I can’t decide what. I live with my wife and my daughter and grandson in the great big middle of ruby red Texas and frankly I’m terrified. We are just the kind of CITIZENS of this country that this administration is coming for never mind that we met in prison in 2008.
Almost 20 years ago, for felonies older still. I think we should leave but I don’t know where to go or how I would support us when we get there. We own property and that feels at risk. And my wife is disabled.
Dunno why I’m telling you my story except that it’s insane. The mere fact that this is, that this could EVER be my story is INSANE. What kind of world are we living in when I have to worry about MY RIGHTS in AMERICA as an American? Trump and his cabinet seem borne out of some kind of masturbatory fantasy of coercive control and abuse, who have somehow convinced a bunch of my brother and sister Americans that they can somehow fix the system they broke on purpose.
Keep writing. Keep making sense. I bought your subscription because I wanted to share my story. And I ask you and your readers: just what the fuck are we going to do about it. Because we gotta do something about it.
Blessed be America. I love you