LOS ANGELES (OC).–President Donald Trump, 79, worked hard since taking office to restore normal U.S.-Russian relations, contrasting sharply with the belligerent policy of former President Joe Biden. Biden opted to join Ukraine’s war against the Kremlin Feb. 24, 2022, trashing decades of diplomacy, détente, arms control and global cooperation. Biden decided to fund proxy war with the Kremlin handing Ukraine’s 47-year-old President Volodymyr Zelensky a blank check. Six months into Trump presidency, he’s now switched gears, deciding to supply defensive weapons to Ukraine, recognizing the fact that Putin has no intent of joining a 30-day unconditional ceasefire during which the contours of a peace deal could be reached. Trump thought he had a friend-and-partner with Putin that would help end the war quickly. Trump no longer thinks Putin is interested in a 30-day ceasefire.
Trump knows that whatever resistance comes from Putin, there’s equal-or-greater opposition to peace from Zelensky. Zelensky threw a fit in the Oval Office when he met with Trump Feb. 28, all because Trump told Zelensky to cut his losses and strike a peace deal with Putin to end the carnage and destruction. “We get a lot of bullshit thrown at us by Putin . . . He’s very nice all the time, but it turns out to be meaningless,” Trump said at a Cabinet meeting, acting like he’s been mislead. But Putin is the one fighting a war with Ukraine and the European Union [EU], both invested in driving Russian forces out of Ukraine. Putin sees zero movement on the part of Zelensky to resolve the over three-year conflict at the peace table. Trump managed to get the U.S. off Putin’s enemy list like the EU, but that doesn’t mean he can’t get back on it with more sanctions and arms shipments.
So, Trump rides the horns of a dilemma with Russia, wanting on the one hand to end the war at the earliest possible time but knowing that Zelensky is no cooperative partner. Zelensky told French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer that Trump was selling Ukraine down the river. Trump knows that Zelensky is no friend of his no matter what weapons he supplies. When it comes to continuing resetting normal diplomatic relations with Russia, sending arms or joining new EU sanctions would setback U.S.-Russian relations. Trump knows that Zelensky denounced him at the Munich Security Conference, all because he tries to restore normal U.S.-Russian relations. Putin sees no point in a 30-day ceasefire when Zelensky continues to strike Russian air fields and weapons depots deep inside the Russian Federation.
Whatever Putin’s recent drone and missile attacks on Kiev and other Ukrainian cities, Putin considers the war full-on with no reason to stop fighting. Trump wanted Putin to enter into a ceasefire but without any commitment by the Kiev government to enter into a meaningful negotiation. Zelensky insists he will not surrender any Ukrainian sovereign territory to Russia, essentially saying he’s not interested in peace. Zelensky keeps telling the EU and U.S. to hit Putin with more economic sanctions and to give him more weapons. Zelensky asked Merz recently to supply him with German-made Taurus ballistic missiles to strike deep inside the Russian Federation. Merz predecessor, former German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, told Zelensky no when it came to Taurus missiles. Trump giving Zelensky more Patriot missiles would breach his attempt to improve U.S.-Russian relations.
When EU defense minister meet in Rome this week to discuss Ukraine, Merz indidated he’s open to supplying Ukraine with more air defenses, something Zelensky has asked Trump lately to supply. Trump would be better off to let the EU take the lead in supplying offensive and defensive weapons to Ukraine, knowing the consequences to U.S.-Russian relations. Whatever Trump’s frustrations with Putin, they pale in comparison to those with Zelensky who flat out refuses to deal with reality. Russian continues to seize more sovereign territory along the 600 mile front line, adding up over three year of war to some 25% of Ukraine’s best sovereign territory. Trump told Zelensky to cut his losses with the Kremlin, allowing him to cut a peace deal that would trade land-for-peace. While receptive at first, Zelensky decided to go to the EU for arms-and-cash to keep the war going.
Ukraine doesn’t have the resources on its own to continue the war without U.S. and EU support. So, Zelensky entered a war with the Kremlin that he couldn’t win. He was told that by Trump on Feb. 28 where he threw a fit in the Oval Office. Now Zelensky begs Trump for more Patriot missiles, asking the EU to supply whatever he can get, including long-range Taurus ballistic missiles. Kremlin Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said today the giving Ukraine Taurus missiles would make Germany a direct combatant in the war. Merz predecessor, former German Chancellor Olaf Schoz, refused Zelensky requests for long-range Taurus missiles. Scholz wanted to avoid unwanted escalation, especially pulling the EU into a wider conflict with Russia. Trump needs to be ulta-cautious what he gives Zelensky knowing that he’s no on his side when it comes to peace talks.
About the Author
John M. Curtis writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news. He’s editor of OnlineColumnist.com and author of Dodging The Bullet and Operation Charisma.
