26-05-2025
Donald Trump's former advisor issues brutal verdict on Vladimir Putin phone call
Fiona Hill, who was one of Trump's advisers, has been a vocal critic of the US President and is not impressed by his phone call with Russian leader Vladimir Putin
Donald Trump's former advisor has delivered a scathing critique of the US President's recent phone exchange with Vladimir Putin.
Fiona Hill worked with Trump during his first term as US President from April 2017 to July 2019. She backed him particularly during a moment in 2018 when Putin showcased a hypersonic missile simulation where he targeted an area that looked like Florida.
But she has since turned into one of his most formidable detractors. Hill contends that Trump is stuck in a "1980s mindset" on foreign affairs and even provided damning evidence at his 2019 impeachment trial about White House susceptibility to Russian meddling.
Her take on Trump's latest calls with Putin is unsparing. Following the series of conversations, Trump praised them, saying: "The tone and spirit of the conversation were excellent."
While Trump also engaged with Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy, where he enthused over prospects of "largescale trade" with the US and decried the Ukraine conflict as a "catastrophic bloodbath", Hill was unimpressed by his dialogue with Putin.
Asked by The Sunday Telegraph about Trump's performance, she minced no words. She said: "Terrible. Let's give him a pass for effort."
She went further to criticise the US President, mocking Trump's approach, reports the Irish Star. She added: "What Trump is doing is answering the wrong exam question.
"He thinks it's just about real estate, about trade and who gets what, be it minerals, land or rare earths." Hill has accused Putin of not wanting a ceasefire but rather endeavouring to "neuter" Ukraine, noting: "Everybody sees this, apart from Trump."
Trump addressed the media suggesting egos are at play in the Ukraine peace negotiations, saying: "I'll tell you big egos involved, but I think something's going to happen. And if it doesn't, I just back away, and they're going to have to keep going again."
This week, Russia and Ukraine swapped 390 prisoners in what is the biggest exchange of captives since the conflict broke out in 2022. It followed a round of direct talks in Istanbul.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky took to social platforms to declare: "We are bringing our people home," assuring that: "We are verifying every surname, every detail about each person."
Hill, who penned the memoir 'There is Nothing Here for You' discussing her ascent in US geopolitics, attributes her blunt manner as key to gaining Trump's confidence. Yet, she candidly discusses the sexism within Trump's administration, recounting an incident where she was mistaken for a secretary, and stressing women had to avoid appearing 'dowdy'.
Hill finds the fixation on women's appearances in politics disturbing, a sentiment she carried with her after departing the White House to resume her academic career. She was recently named the chancellor of Durham University in 2023.
Besides leading academia, Hill engages with the UK Government as one of the trio spearheading the Strategic Defence Review.
