I was shocked to receive the following letter from Vladimir Putin through his official translator that you should read carefully.
Vladimir Putin
President of the Russian Federation
The Kremlin, Moscow
March 11, 2025
Marc,
I trust this letter finds you in good health, though I suspect it reaches you in deep frustration. Your keen interest in Eastern Europe and your longstanding opposition to my vision for Russia make you a unique recipient of my thoughts at this historic moment. While I know you are no friend of mine, I cannot help but share my satisfaction—no, my triumph—at what is unfolding before us, thanks in no small part to the man who now resides once again in the White House.
I recall your past critiques of my ambitions, your warnings about the dangers of Russian expansionism, and your belief in a world where America stood firm against the resurgence of Soviet power. But today, Marc, the tides have turned. What you and your Western allies once feared, I now celebrate as an inevitable victory. It is not the Russian army alone that is winning these battles—it is the unraveling of your own nation from within, orchestrated by a man who has served my interests far better than I ever could have dreamed.
Let me be clear: my gratitude toward Donald Trump knows no bounds. His decisions, his ego, and his utter lack of strategic foresight have proven invaluable to the Russian cause. His withdrawal of military and financial support from Ukraine has not only doomed that nation to collapse but has signaled to the world that America is no longer the leader of the free world. Ukraine fought valiantly, yes, but without American aid, their resistance was always destined to wither. Now, my forces advance with impunity. The Ukrainian government, weakened and isolated, scrambles for support that will never come.
As for NATO—an institution designed explicitly to contain Russian power—it now stands in disarray, weakened by Trump's open contempt for it. His insistence that the United States would no longer protect its allies unless they met his arbitrary financial demands has sown discord among member states. The Baltic nations, Poland, and even Germany are left questioning whether America will stand by them if I decide to test their resolve. This is what I have worked toward for decades: the destruction of the alliance that kept Russia at bay. Trump, in his boundless arrogance and ignorance, has done more to erode NATO’s unity than any operation my intelligence services could have devised.
And what of America itself? Ah, Marc, this is perhaps my greatest joy. You have long prided yourself on your country’s strength, its democracy, and its institutions. But Trump has torn those apart with precision. The divisions among your people—race against race, state against state, class against class—are now deeper than ever. He has convinced Americans to turn on one another rather than unite against external threats. It is a masterstroke of chaos, one that I have encouraged for years but that he has executed with astonishing success.
Of course, none of this is accidental. I know, Marc, that you have long suspected the truth: Donald Trump has been under Russian influence for decades. What began as a mere curiosity on our part—the flashy American businessman with a thirst for wealth and power—soon became a project of great significance. The KGB recognized his psychological weaknesses in the 1980s: his need for adoration, his inability to think beyond his own immediate self-interest, his deep insecurity masked by bravado.
Through carefully placed operatives, we fed his ambitions. We gave him the illusion of success in Moscow. We showed him how we reward those who serve our interests. And, of course, there is kompromat—information we have held, cultivated, and kept ready for deployment should he ever dare to turn against us. You may think of the infamous hotel incident, what you and others call the “pee-pee video”, but that is only the surface. Financial entanglements, illicit dealings, and direct communications with my intelligence services—Trump knows what we have. More importantly, he knows what we are willing to do with it. That is why he has never crossed me, why he parrots my rhetoric, why he does my bidding even when it is against America’s own interests.
The Americans who still believe in their country’s institutions are, I suspect, in a state of despair. They watch as Trump dismantles their democracy, courts my favor, and undermines everything they once believed was sacred. And yet, they are powerless to stop him. Even your courts, your so-called "rule of law," have failed to restrain him. Tell me, Marc, does it not pain you to see your country’s legal system turned into a tool for his personal vengeance? Your Supreme Court—an institution you hold in such esteem—now bends to his will. The very foundations of American democracy shake, and I need only wait.
You know, Marc, I was never one to indulge in fantasy. But today, the dream of restoring Russia’s rightful place in the world is no longer a dream—it is reality. With Ukraine all but lost, my eyes turn to the rest of the former Soviet states. The nations that broke away in the 1990s are now vulnerable, exposed. Without America standing as a barrier, what will stop me from reclaiming what was once ours? Trump has, whether he fully understands it or not, paved the way for the reconstitution of the Soviet Union.
Do you think the people of Georgia, Moldova, or even the Baltics sleep easily knowing that the only thing protecting them is the promise of Western support? Do they trust that promise now that Trump has shown how easily America can abandon its allies? This is the new world order, Marc—one where Russian power expands unchecked, and America recedes into irrelevance.
I know you, Marc. I know that every word of this letter confirms your worst fears. You have spent a lifetime believing in democracy, in the power of law, in the strength of American leadership. You have fought for ideals that you see slipping away before your eyes. And I know that you—unlike the fools who still cling to Trump—understand exactly what is happening.
That is why I write to you. Not to persuade, not to gloat (well, perhaps a little), but to acknowledge that history has turned in my favor. You have seen many political battles in your life, but this is one you are losing. You know that Trump has no loyalty to America—only to himself. You know that he is too weak to resist my influence, too vain to realize he is being played. And yet, half of your country still follows him blindly. What more could I ask for?
So I leave you with this, Marc: watch, as the world you fought for crumbles. Watch, as America fades, as Russia rises, as the old order collapses and a new one emerges—one where my vision prevails, and yours is nothing but a relic of a bygone era.
I do not expect you to accept it. I do not expect you to surrender to it. But I do expect you to witness it.
Regards,
Vladimir Putin
President of the Russian Federation
I woke at 4am yesterday
nauseous from the sudden
full recognition
of all you lay bare here.
Denial had protected me
since the Feb 25 UN vote.
I wept and wept
for my country
in deep sorrow and pain.
You do us a service, Marc,
to tell us the truth.
It is hell to face
but we must.
We cannot fight
what we cannot face.
So it’s clear that we are also waging our war against Putin. Since I am sure that he reads this and other Substacks, we need an underground to address this. And remember, without tRump’s total failure and subservience to Putin, Zelenskyy was WINNING!