Trump’s Ukraine Pivot: How Putin played the role of US President – and won

For years, US President Donald Trump promised that he could alone end the devastating war in Ukraine in “24 hours”. Now, after six months in the office, Trump finds himself facing a shameful reality: Vladimir Putin is not playing together.TL; DR: News Driving
- In an almost turn, Trump gave Russia an ultimatum on Monday, seeking to end his war on Ukraine within 50 days or faced large -scale economic sanctions and a wave of new weapons.
- Trump’s declaration, a clear policy change after the month -friendly outreach and unsuccessful diplomacy, included the danger of the unprecedented “secondary tariffs” that targeted Russia and India, especially China and India, who continue to buy Russian oil.
- Troubled by NATO general secretary Mark Rute at the Oval Office, Trump openly expressed his disappointment with Putin:
- Trump said, “We are going to do very serious tariffs, if we have no deal in 50 days, about 100 percent tariff,” Trump said he was “very, very sad” of the Russian leader.
- According to a report in the Atlantic, this difficult public stance follows the weeks of personal insults, as Putin had repeatedly ignored Trump’s requests to stop the missile strikes on Ukraine.
why it mattersTrump’s sudden, tremendous change over Russia highlighted how Putin has repeatedly humiliated the US President, whenever Trump tried to negotiate peace, exploit Trump’s will for personal diplomacy by increasing violence.Initially, he is confident that he can quickly eliminate Europe’s blood struggle since the Second World War within 24 hours, Trump is now being forced into a more aggressive stance by domestic political pressures and his own aggressive ego.Putin’s continuous military growth not only embarrassed Trump, but also erased his political standing domestic, which led to him to criticize both sides of the corridor, as the conflict took place in its fourth cruel year.As a White House official told Atlantic, Trump now privately believes that Putin has made him like a “junior partner”.This reversal is not a new trump theory. As Jonathan Lamier noted at the Atlantic, Trump suddenly did not embrace the causes of transatlantic unity or insect. Rather, Trump “insulted” -and now he is coming out. For Putin, who often see Bhurajiti as a personal dominance game, shameful Trump seems to have a strategic success.Senator Lindsay Graham captured Trump’s insult. Graham told the CBS ‘Face the Nation’, “The biggest miscalculin by Putin is to play Trump.”Zoom in: insult by missilesTrump entered the prescribed office to take advantage of his alleged personal synergy with Putin to rapidly eliminate the Ukraine War. But his frequent diplomatic failures have reduced Trump’s credibility dramatically.At the beginning of his second term, Trump publicly surrounded the Ukrainian President Volodmi Zelanski and gave rise to controversy, accused the Ukraine leader of prolonging the war and calling him a “dictator without elections”. Trump also briefly stopped American intelligence with Ukraine, making speculation that he intended to leave Kiev to secure peace with Moscow.But Putin took advantage of Trump’s curiosity for a ceasefire, publicly agreed to interact by ramping missiles and drone attacks on Ukrainian cities. More Trump publicly begs for peace, more aggressively attacked by Putin, by creating a derogatory cycle, Trump himself admitted:“With my conversation [Putin] It is very pleasant, and then missiles leave at night, “Trump accepted, blindly disappointed in the oval office.” There is no point in the matter. ,Perhaps the fastest sting for Trump’s ego came close to the house from the First Lady Melania Trump. He challenged Trump’s naive optimism, reminding him of harsh reality on the ground. “I go home, I tell the first woman, ‘You know, I spoke to Vladimir today, we had a wonderful conversation,” said Trump. “And he said,” Oh really? Another city was just killed. “It has become impossible to hide Trump’s disappointment with the constant disregard of Putin. Publicly, he has openly doubted Putin’s honesty. In recent weeks, Trump accused the Russian leader that he would “give him a lot of nonsense” and said that Putin “had gone mad.” Even Trump is known to flatter publicly, he said, “I don’t want to say that he is a killer, but he is a difficult boy.”
Volodymyr, can you kill Moscow? , , , Can you kill St. Petersburg too? Trump asked Zelancesi during 4 July
FT said, two people said on the conversation citing briefs.
This is a shift on behalf of a person who praised Putin’s “strength” months ago and openly criticized Ukraine’s President Zelancesi, who was as a ungrateful partner to prolong the war.Putin’s calculation apathy
- For Putin, the calculation has been coldly rational. American intelligence officials concluded long ago that Putin believes the time is in his favor-western unity would fracture and Trump’s patience would eventually break, leading to a favorable deal for Russia.
- That strategy has worked completely so far. Trump’s delay in military support in Ukraine, including a stagnation on arms shipments, hugged Russia’s military criminals. Putin, rather than intensifying the attacks, gambling correctly, that Trump will hesitate to implement expensive sanctions that can damage global economic stability or stress relations with major trading partners such as China and India.
- Russia’s apathy towards Trump’s dangers has moved beyond Trump’s tendency, which is to escape through follow -up. His infamous tariff threats against China-Tram in previous trade battles often set a dramatic time limit, which he later ignored. Investors saw: Russian markets rally after Trump’s announcement, indicated relief in the 50-day grace period, effectively called his bluff.
Between lines: Europe’s suspicion and doubtTeaHe has left Trump politically to Kremlin’s Brezen’s insult. NATO leaders, already careful with Trump, who already incorporate their suggestions that Russia can legally attack NATO’s colleague to fail to meet military spending goals-can rapidly doubt about his credibility, according to an exio report.Trump’s own Republican colleague, first assistant or at least tolerant to his consent approach, now forces themselves to defend their dramatic inverse. In particular, Senator Thom Tilis (R-NC) reduced Trump’s aggressive rhetoric, saying that he does not believe Trump “honestly” his harsh statements, again suggests that Trump should be taken “not seriously but literally.”Nevertheless, these justification rarely makes political humiliation, Putin has provoked on Trump, making him appear reactive and weak, which is located in the upcoming midnight elections.Meanwhile, European allies, Tram’s transactions, have been pitying Trump’s credibility, having tired over the years of transaction of Tram. Kaja Kalas of Estonia called the deadline of Trump’s 50-day sanctions “far away in the future”, in view of the ongoing Russian violence against citizens. Even Ukraine’s frontline soldiers, though relieved, question Trump’s honesty. “Better late late,” a 29 -year -old Ukrainian fighter is known as Grizzly for AFP, mixed with doubts mixed with a mood of cautious optimism.In Berlin, Chancellor Frederick Merz promised a “decisive role” for Germany in supporting Ukraine, but carefully avoided supporting Trump’s diplomatic strategy. The underlying message is clear: European leaders will welcome weapons, but believe something on Trump’s commitment, leaving their ability to provide peace alone.What are they saying: ‘Will face Russia’
- Putin and Russia’s political aristocracy openly made fun of Trump’s ultimatum. Former Russian President Dimitri Medvedev, known as Putin’s loyalty, dismissed Trump’s sanctions as “dramatic”, which clearly add to social media:
- “The world trembled, expecting the results. The militant Europe was disappointed. Russia did not care.”
- Russian External Affairs Minister Sergei Lavarov said that Russia tried to understand what was inspired by Trump’s statement that Russia should reach a peace deal in Ukraine within 50 days.
- “Earlier, there was also a time limit of 24 hours and 100 days,” Lavarov said during an official visit to China. “We have seen all this and would really like to understand the inspiration of the US President.”
- Speaking at a press conference during a meeting of Foreign Ministers of the 25th Shanghai Cooperation Organization in Tianjin, China, Lavrov said that he “had no doubt that Russia will face any new sanctions.”
- Even when Trump tried to re-achieve the initiative by supplying Ukraine by supplying Ukraine with Arabs to enhance weapons as a 17 Patriot missile battery through NATO-Russian MPs, Trump’s new trend mainly benefited the “American military-industrial complex” instead of Ukraine.
- However, Ukraine President Zelancesi carefully but optimally congratulated Trump’s new support:
- “We hope for the leadership of the United States, as it is clear that Moscow will not stop until its ambitions are stopped by force,” Zelansky told Telegram followers.
- The move was also carefully praised by Senate Democrats, who still criticized Trump’s previous softness to Putin. Senator Jean Shaheen (D-NH) welcomed Trump’s weapon initiative, but emphasized more than Putin’s President’s individual:
- “Today’s decision … will save countless Ukrainian life from Putin’s horrific attack,” Shaheen said, underlining Trump’s belts.
- Evilin Farkus, a former Pentagon officer, now led the McCain Institute, told Bloomberg that while Trump’s belted policy shift could change the dynamics of the battlefield if strictly implemented, the President’s track record does not inspire confidence. “If Putin’s generals believe that the war is not winning, he would probably push Putin to talk,” he explained, “but Trump’s credibility remains suspicious.”
What will happen nextTrump faces an important test: if Putin re -defines him, or retreats and loses any remaining global reliability, follow his dangers aggressively. The deadline for looming restrictions almost aligns with the end of Russia’s summer military campaign, possibly able to seize more Ukrainian region before starting a conversation.Europe, meanwhile, is careful with Trump’s credibility, quietly preparing contingencies, Trump should suddenly transfer its position. Former CIA officer Mark Polymeropolos took care of Europe: “Do I think Trump is now a pro-outer? Please. Of course, not,” Polymeropolos told the Atlantic. “Europe still needs to plan with the idea that America is not a reliable ally, as Trump can still change his mind.”(With input from agencies)