Putin could soon find himself with more friends in Europe

A GLOBAL upheaval looms as Donald Trump strengthens his candidacy for the next US presidential elections. Ukraine and its European allies need to start considering the prospect that by the end of next year, they could face a US no longer invested in resisting Russia’s aggression.

We should also start bracing ourselves for a geopolitical earthquake in Europe itself. In Spain, which holds national elections on Jul 23, and across the continent, far-right demagogues are in the ascendant.

Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Italy’s first postwar leader with fascist roots, was not exaggerating when she told a far-right rally in Spain last week, “The hour of patriots has arrived.”