Trump's plan to end Russia – Ukraine war shrinks
For years, President Donald Trump has boasted that he is the only one who can end the Russian-Ukrainian war. He repeatedly said in the recent presidential campaign: “I will finish it in 24 hours.” After returning to the White House, he told advisers that he planned a summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in an attempt to produce a TV show for TV, during which he could formally announce the resolution on the war, two government officials and external advisers told me.
But plans are changing, the officials said. (I agree not to name it so they can discuss internal deliberations.) Trump still wants to build closer ties with Putin, and the White House may soon be able to revisit the possibility of a meeting. But officials now hope that any such summit will not involve negotiations to end the fight.
After months of launching a ceasefire agreement, the United States is preparing to take a step back from peace talks. Trump held a phone call this week with Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and hinted that he would no longer work to promote a deal between the two leaders in person. Europe itself is itself. While continuing to pursue aggression, Russia has at least temporarily escaped the consequences of the United States.
“I think what will happen,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on Monday, still looking to reach a deal. But, he added: “If not, I'll back down and they will have to keep moving forward. This is the situation in Europe. This should be the situation in Europe.”
Perhaps this result is inevitable. Trump has long been in awe of Putin, who is skeptical of Europe, and firmly believes that U.S. foreign policy should prioritize commerce and trade. He often confirms Russia's narrative about the war – Ukraine caused conflict and repeatedly demands peace in Ukraine, while rarely demanding Putin. His frustration with his Russian rival is rare and brief. Trump threatened new sanctions on Russia after meeting Zelensky at Pope Francis’ funeral a few weeks ago. As he said at the time, Putin's decision to ignore our call for a 30-day ceasefire suggests that he may not want to “stop the war” and “must handle it differently.” But at this point, no new sanctions have been imposed.
When I proposed a meeting with Putin last week with Zelensky in Istanbul, Trump hopes the ceasefire negotiations are on the verge of a breakthrough. Zelensky travels to Türkiye, and Trump has already made his first foreign trip to the region for a new term, suggesting he will be willing to join if the Russian leader goes too. Instead, Putin blew up the meeting and sent a low-level delegation. The fact that Ukrainian and Russian officials first met since the invasion? Yes. But nothing worth noting at the meeting, and Russia's demands remain extreme. Trump felt a sting in private, Putin turned down a chance to meet, and an outside adviser who spoke with the president after the Istanbul meeting told me.
Trump “was tired and frustrated with both sides of the conflict after the president's phone call with Russian and Ukrainian leaders.” Trump spent two hours on the phone with Putin, a conversation that the White House and the Kremlin later described as warm. Later in the day, Trump announced that Putin had agreed to negotiate a ceasefire “immediately” directly with Ukraine and conduct a broader agreement to end the war. Having put aside the fact that direct negotiations have begun in Turkey, Trump did not insist that Russia accepts the US's 30-day ceasefire proposal, giving Putin what he wants: permission to allow negotiations can progress more slowly. The slow pace will allow Russia to continue to cause damage to Ukraine and win more territory, thereby strengthening Moscow's position in future negotiations.
“Vladimir Putin wants to continue the war,” said Jake Sullivan, President Joe Biden's national security adviser. “He believes that terror cities will weaken their morale, he believes that ultimately their boundaries will break and he will make more progress on the ground.” Sullivan said that by agreeing to talks with Ukraine (in a vague, toothless way), that is, currently temporarily appeasement of Trump. “He wants to stop the war from moving forward, but on the other hand, please don’t flip him.
“This is the war we inherit – it is the war for Biden. There is no plan or strategy to end the conflict and kill, but now, under President Trump's leadership, the two sides agreed to the first direct dialogue in three years. It's an important step.” It's an important step. ”
Trump suggested in his Truth Society position that the United States is withdrawing from talks because Ukraine and Russia “know the details of the negotiations and no one else will realize it.” A few hours ago, Vice President JD Vance similarly declared the conflict “not our war,” saying, “We will try to end it, but if we can’t end it, we end up saying, ‘Do you know what? Is it worth it? It’s a worth it, but we don’t do anything anymore.” Trump added Monday that he hopes he wants the Vatican, not us, not us, not us, not to hold negotiations.
Zelensky may welcome divine intervention, but the potential lack of our participation shocked him. On X, he insisted: “The negotiation process must involve the U.S. and European representatives at the appropriate level.”
The Russian leader touted the possibility of Trump's massive U.S.-Russian business deals, according to a reading of the Kremlin's call for Putin and Trump. Trump seems enthusiastic in his Truth Society position. “Russia wants to trade large-scale with the United States at the end of this catastrophic 'Bloodbath', and I agree. Russia has a great opportunity to create a lot of jobs and wealth. Its potential is unlimited.” The outside advisers I spoke to and the third administration official told me that one of Trump's main motivations for ending the conflict was that he wanted to normalize relations with Moscow and negotiate a trade agreement involving Russia's rare minerals.
The United States will continue to share intelligence with Ukraine and send some aid there. (The government briefly paused after a fierce Oval Office meeting with Zelensky in February, resulting in Russia's gains in the war.) As long as the race head remains open, many experts believe that Ukraine can postpone Moscow's progress on the battlefield. Washington could impose more penalties on Moscow. Republican Senator Lindsey Graham and Trump broke tough sanctions with Trump — and minor sanctions on other countries that operate with Moscow if Putin is not committed to peaceful negotiations. Now, the measure is backed by a bipartisan group of nearly 80 senators, a veto majority, as Richard Blumenthal, the bill’s first co-sponsor, pointed out to me. “Donald Trump has numerous themes on Ukraine,” Blumenthal said.
As Trump stays away from peace talks, Europe will assume more responsibility for providing weapons to Ukraine and keeping its future security. The continent has gathered around Ukraine since the beginning of the war, but European military cannot match the United States' ability to strengthen Kiev. The U.S. withdrawal could lead to more Russian gains. This will also provide further evidence of Trump administration’s suspicion of Europe. Trump has repeatedly argued with European leaders over trade and defense spending.
Zelensky is more aggressive in courting Trump after the disastrous Oval Office meeting. He admitted that he did not know whether the United States would impose sanctions on Russia as it did on Tuesday to strengthen sanctions on Russia.
“We need to know who we can count on, we can't,” he told reporters. “As for the American parcels – it's a different story.” ”