Donald Trump has spent years attempting to sell the American people a fantasy: that he alone could stop the war between Russia and Ukraine with a simple phone call.
Half a dozen phone calls later (that we know of!) and we’re further from peace than at any time in the last several years.
The Trump Administration’s Russia policy is an unmitigated disaster. Trump may have come into office seeking to restore the U.S.-Russia relationship to a bygone era of “great power” harmony, hoping that the irritating (to him) Ukraine would just go away… and that if we just treated Putin with enough deference, somehow peace would blossom.
It hasn’t. It won’t. And now, the wheels are coming off that dangerous fantasy.
Let’s start with the reality in Washington. In a rare show of bipartisan unity, 85 U.S. Senators have co-sponsored legislation to impose tougher sanctions on Russia. That kind of overwhelming support is almost unheard of in our current political climate.
And yet, Donald Trump - who has now been president for nearly six months - has not imposed a single new sanction on the Kremlin. In fact, the existing sanctions regime has eroded under his watch, giving Moscow greater financial strength than it had on the day he took office. Meanwhile, Ukraine, our democratic ally fighting for survival, is in a weaker military position as our military aid commitment to Ukraine is completely chaotic. Worse, it appears that Trump didn’t even know about weapons to Ukraine being withheld by his own Pentagon. That doesn’t inspire confidence in the Commander in Chief.
This isn’t policy. It’s chaos. And it’s failing.
Trump’s refusal to hold Putin accountable has emboldened Russia. But it hasn’t broken Ukraine’s will or shattered NATO’s resolve. If anything, it’s unified the transatlantic alliance and deepened European skepticism about Trump’s reliability (although they won’t say it out loud). America’s allies - and the American people - aren’t blind. They see what Trump is trying to do: tilt the war in Russia’s favor without owning up to it.
But despite this appeasement, Putin isn’t biting. He’s not interested in Trump’s romantic vision of a renewed American-Russian relationship. He’s interested in Ukraine. He’s playing for keeps - for conquest. And Trump, having offered everything up front, has nothing left to bargain with.
That’s not just poor diplomacy. It’s reckless. It’s time for him to recognize this reality and turn the tables on Putin. It’s time for, as he often likes to say, “peace through strength,” not the weakness of the moment.
So now Trump is talking a bit tougher about Putin. Good! Let’s see if it holds. After all, actions speak louder than words. He has all the tools at his command. A sanctions bill pending in Congress that will pass. Military aid in the pipeline that he can turn on. NATO allies who can be partnered with to execute a robust diplomatic program that gets control of the situation. It’s literally all there for the taking.
This moment demands clarity. Donald Trump must decide whose side he’s on. Does he stand with Vladimir Putin, or does he stand with the American people, Ukraine, and our democratic allies?
There’s no middle ground. No clever third option. Just a fundamental choice between freedom and authoritarianism, between democracy and aggression.
The time for choosing is now.
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