Newly inaugurated US President Donald Trump seems to grasp, at last, that he can push not just Ukraine, but also Russia, to end the war, says professor of political science Robert Kelly.
File photo of US President Donald Trump and Russia n President Vladimir Putin . In 2022, he called Putin “genius” and “savvy” for his move on Ukraine . On Wednesday, he threatened sweeping tariffs on Russia if Putin did not end the “ridiculous war”, saying: “We can do it the easy way, or the hard way”.
Trump, the logic went, would agree because he does not care much for US alliances and partnerships, and because of his curious relationship with Putin. All this is now uncertain. It is this vulnerability that Trump now seems to sense. Russia’s economy is on war-footing, which generates the crushing mass necessary to make gains on the ground in Ukraine, but which comes with obvious costs. Civilian investment is starved as production is diverted to military need. Financing for research, education, infrastructure, repair, and so on is cut. The population must endure shortages as civilian production dries up.
In short, Russia is winning what increasingly looks like a pyrrhic victory. The economic, diplomatic, and military costs are enormous compared to the small territorial gains made. Instead, Trump has usually flattered Putin, calling him strong, a friend, and so on. Trump normally demands flattery and does not give it easily. In the context of the Ukraine war, Trump has been noticeably cool to the Ukrainian position that it is the victim of Russian imperialism. Trump and his allies have instead argued that NATO and/or Ukraine is somehow responsible for the war. There is long-standing speculation that Putin has some kind of kompromat on Trump.
Russia Russia-Ukraine War Donald Trump Putin
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