Washington: US President Donald Trump on Sunday reposted a provocative social media post describing him as playing ‘both sides like a master chess player.’ The reposted message suggested that Trump had strategically negotiated a mineral deal to involve Americans in Ukraine’s mining industry, a move purportedly aimed at deterring Russian aggression by making an attack on Ukraine a risk to American lives, thereby necessitating a US response.

According to Anadolu Agency, the post, originally written by Michael McCune on Trump’s social media platform Truth Social, claimed, “(Ukraine President Volodymyr) Zelenskyy will have no choice but to back down and accept Trump’s terms. But here’s the genius part-Trump is actually protecting Ukraine without dragging the U.S. into war.” This statement implies that Trump’s actions are designed to shield Ukraine while avoiding direct military involvement.

The repost comes in the wake of a heated discussion involving Zelenskyy, Trump, and US Vice President JD Vance at an Oval Office meeting in the White House. The social media post further articulated that “Zelenskyy will have no choice but to concede, because without US support, Ukraine cannot win a prolonged war against Russia.” This highlights the post’s assertion of the critical nature of US support in Ukraine’s defense strategy against potential Russian encroachments.