Billionaire Sir Richard Branson, founder of Virgin Group, used a LinkedIn post on Oct. 18 to criticize Trump's Russia policy, arguing that easing energy sanctions on Moscow and restricting technical support to Kyiv compromise Western security. He objected to a commercial diesel deal with Russia, which he said injects revenue into Moscow's budget during active fighting, and to limits on Ukrainian forces, including delayed missile warnings and throttling of Starshield. Branson urged European leaders to provide decisive military and financial support to Ukraine, including using frozen Russian assets and delivering Germany's Taurus missiles. The appeal comes as EU leaders asked the European Commission to draft proposals to cover Ukraine's projected €70 billion ($79 billion) shortfall for 2027, potentially using proceeds from roughly €210 billion in immobilized Russian sovereign assets.
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