LOS ANGELES.–Once frustrated with 72-year-old President Vladimir Putin to dragging his feet on a ceasefire deal, 78-year-old President Donald Trump spoke with Putin for over an hour June 4, no longer blaming Russia for the lack of peace progress. Trump knows that 47-year-old Ukrainian President Volodmyr Zelensky says Putin is the one that’s delaying peace talks but actually Zelensky wants no part of any peace deal. Zelensky has been pleading with the European Union to take over funding proxy war in Ukraine against the Kremlin. Trump made clear to Zelensky that he no longer continues former President Joe Biden’s blank check strategy, as he attempts to restore normal diplomatic relations with the Kremlin. Trump admitted after speaking with Putin there no “immediate peace” with Zelensky still boasting about his ambush of Russia’s strategic bombers’ fleet.
Trump said Putin told him that he can’t ignore Zelensky’s recent attacks on his strategic bombing fleet plus trying to blow up the Kursk bridge linking Russia to Crimea. Trump hasn’t joined Zelensky and the EU’s calls to slap Putin with more economic sanctions because he sent a delegation to Istanbul to discuss preliminary ideas for a ceasefire, rather than meet with Zelensky on his own. Trump has deliberately worked for months on repairing U.S.-Russian relations after years of neglect by former President Joe Biden. Biden turned Russia as global partner of the United States into a mortal enemy, all because he funded proxy war in Ukraine with the Kremlin. “It was a good conversation, but not a conversation that will lead to immediate Peace. President Putin did say, and very strongly, that he will have to respond to the recent attack on the airfields,” Trump posted on Truth Social.
Trump was frustrated with Putin for hitting Ukraine hard a few weeks ago with drone and missiles strike, not knowing what Zelensky had up his sleeve. Zelensky makes it out like he’s the victim of vicious terrorists strikes without provocation. He keeps telling the EU that he’s the victim of a naked land grab from Russia, planning on taking more EU territory. When German Chancellor Friedrich Merz met with Trump in the Oval Office yesterday, he was shocked that Trump was 100% behind NATO. Merz hears all of Zelensky’s propaganda that Trump doesn’t care about European security, something he told the Munich Security Conference. Merz clearly came into Oval Office with the lowest expectations because of all Zelensky’s disparaging comments about Trump. Trump supports Ukraine but in a different way than Biden. Trump wants the war to end, not escalate.
Putin doesn’t side with Putin more than he wants peace and has worked feverishly with the Ukraine envoy Steve Witcoff to bring it about. Zelensky and certain members of the EU led by French President Emmanuel Macron and, more recently Merz who questioned whether Trump backs Ukraine. Trump isn’t trusted by Zelensky because he’s sought to restore normal diplomatic relations with Russia. Trump wants to reengage Russia as strategic global partners, working on critical events like Iran’s nuclear enrichment program. Trump said he and Putin were in agreement that Iran should not get a nuclear weapon. “President Putin suggested that he will participate in the discussions with Iran and that he could, perhaps, be helpful in getting this brought to a rapid conclusion,” Trump said. Trump Russian-haters on Capitol Hill all oppose normalizing relations with Russia.
So, whatever happens in Ukraine, Trump has moved on with U.S. foreign policy and national security to improve relations with the Russian Federation. “It is my option that Iran has been slow-walking their decision on this very important matter, and we will need to definitive answer in a very short period of time,” Trump said, knowing how Putin can help facilitate the peace process. Putin already told his Iranian counterpart Massour Pezeshkian that Moscow is ready to help advance a nuclear deal with the United States. Putin isn’t concerned about Iran enriching uranium, he’s concerned with what they do with their stockpiles, especially 60% enriched uranium, right below weapons grade. Trump could solve the Iran nuclear dilemma by having the U.N.’s IAEA supervise Iran’s enrichment program and start selling enriched uranium to the United States for use in carbon free nuclear reactors.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei doesn’t like being bullied by the U.S. under threat of military action. Trump knows that Iran can ill-afford a confrontation with the U.S. or Israel over its nuclear enrichment program. Once the IAEA supervises Iran’s enrichment program, all of its enriched uranium would be accounted for. Trump has to figure out a way with Putin to let Iran continuing to enrich uranium while selling its stockpile to the U.S. for fuel rods in carbon free nuclear power reactors coming on line every day. Putin would be of great help to help broker a nuke deal for the U.S. Yet, if you listen to the warmongers in Congress led by Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) you think the U.S. should go back to Biden’s proxy war strategy. Trump has helped repair U.S. foreign policy and national security in only four short months. Look what Biden did in four years.
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.
