Trump Shifts Stance on Russia and Ukraine Conflict

President Trump on Russia and Ukraine Conflict

Trump’s Statement on Russia’s Losses

“I’m very disappointed, and he’s been fighting hard. He’s been fighting long, and they lost millions. I’m not going to ever call anybody a paper tiger. But Russia spent millions and millions of dollars on bombs, missiles, ammunition, and lives—their lives—and they’ve gained virtually no land. I think it’s time to stop.”

That’s President Trump yesterday at the White House.

NATO Ambassador’s Perspective on Ukraine

Let’s bring in former NATO ambassador Kurt Volker.

Ukrainian Fighting Spirit

Ambassador Volker, what is your assessment right now of the Ukrainian fighting spirit? Are they feeling defeated? Are they feeling like they can beat Russia in this terrible conflict?

“Well, it all starts from the fact that they are defending their own territory, their own homes, their lands, and their families. So they have incredible determination. Even when it’s tough, even when they get tired, even when Russia has these bombings of civilians overnight, the Ukrainians are still very determined because they are defending themselves.”

Trump’s Support After Meeting Zelensky

“I would say that President Trump’s post on Truth Social after his meeting with Zelensky in New York was indeed a shot in the arm for Ukrainians. It was the first time that President Trump really laid bare how poorly Russia is doing and how Ukraine can possibly win this war.”

There seems to have been a turn of events since Zelensky’s visit last year to the White House. Now, it seems like the president is favouring the Ukrainian side, which wasn’t necessarily the case for a while.

Ceasefire and Peace Talks

But I think he was making sure that Ukraine wanted an immediate ceasefire—that they wanted peace. After that Oval Office meeting in February, he said he wasn’t sure Zelensky wanted peace. But now I think he is convinced. Zelensky said many, many times they’re ready for peace, ready to negotiate, and ready to meet.

Trump has done everything possible to make an offer to Vladimir Putin. He has bent over backwards, giving them every opportunity to have a ceasefire, to stop the war, and to stop the killing.

Putin’s Escalation and Deception

And Putin has frankly taken advantage of President Trump. President Trump has given him time, opportunities, and offers—possible business deals, lifting sanctions—and Putin has pretended to be interested in that while actually escalating the fighting.

The final straw may have been when President Trump called Putin from the Oval Office with those European leaders waiting. Putin told him he would meet with Zelensky in a bilateral or trilateral format. Then, after that, Putin backed away and showed no intention of meeting. Trump now knows that Putin lied directly and has no intention of peace. That’s why we’re seeing this change in tone.

Attacks on Civilians

Meanwhile, the attacks on civilian facilities, apartment buildings, and infrastructure just continue. And the world seems to sort of collectively yawn. It astonishes me that the Russians do this night after night—blowing up apartment buildings—and there’s nobody to stop them, no response.

Comparing Ukraine and Russia’s Tactics

I’m glad you brought that up because even correspondents in London made it sound like the attacks are equal on both sides. Not so at all. The Russians are deliberately targeting cities, civilians, people’s lives, and terrorising populations.

The Ukrainians are being much more tactically appropriate. They’re hitting military targets and energy infrastructure, which provides refined petroleum products for army vehicles, tracked vehicles, and aircraft, as well as gasoline for cars. This impacts the civilian population but does not deliberately kill people the way the Russians do.

Sanctions and the Global Response

The world is helping Ukraine a lot with defence, but more can be done. The president could also do more in terms of sanctions on Russia.

Yes, he could, and I think it’s long overdue. Russia has adjusted to the first layer of sanctions, where Western countries and the U.S. are not buying or trading Russian oil and gas. But they found others who are willing to do so and are rerouting.

We need to go after those others who are trading with Russia with secondary sanctions. Targeting businesses, ports, vessels, and refineries would be much more effective than going after entire countries with tariffs that might backfire. Companies that need access to the global financial system are the right pressure points.

Author: Chitta Majhi, Blogger covering trending global news.