President Donald Trump prostrated himself before Vladimir Putin following a threat by Russia‘s leader to commit new war crimes in Ukraine. Trump’s relevant post followed his call with Putin on Wednesday.
Noting that the two leaders had discussed Trump’s effort to secure a new nuclear agreement with Iran, Trump added that “we discussed the attack by Ukraine on Russia’s docked airplanes, by Ukraine, and also various other attacks that have been taking place by both sides. 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.”
This is weak stuff.
While some might point to Trump’s recognition of attacks “taking place by both sides,” this post shows that Trump still refuses to hold Putin accountable for his relentless attacks on Ukrainian civilians. Trump is conflating Ukraine’s legitimate military attack on Russian strategic bomber aircraft with Putin’s employment of those very same aircraft to attack Ukrainian apartment buildings and pediatric hospitals. Those attacks have been carried out most nights for nearly three-and-a-half years.
Even worse, by observing without further comment that Putin has told him “very strongly” that he will respond to Ukraine’s airfield attacks, Trump has essentially granted the Russian leader carte blanche to commit new war crimes without fear of American reprisals. Trump knows full well that Putin’s nightly missile and drone onslaughts are not designed to take out key military targets. Instead, they are designed to break Ukraine’s will to resist invasion. Trump surely knows that Putin’s latest threat will make itself felt in that same vein. Trump is essentially kneeling before Putin’s feet and saying, “whatever you must do, master, do.”
Why?
Why can’t Trump say to Putin that he expects any Russian military retaliation will take the same basic form of Ukraine’s attack? Namely, that of military force employed directly against military targets. Why can’t Trump warn Putin that, absent a military-versus-military response, the American president will finally do what he has repeatedly threatened to do, and impose secondary sanctions on foreign purchasers of Russian energy supplies?
That threat would jolt Putin to attention because it would cripple the Kremlin’s access to much-needed revenue. This is revenue that Putin needs to fund his war effort and provide a basic measure of public services to his citizens. It is revenue that Putin needs in order to hold off a growing economic whirlwind of high inflation, depleted private investment, creaking supply chains, and a deep shortage of skilled labor.
Sadly, the answer appears to be the same as that which explains Trump’s defective strategy toward Putin since he re-entered office.
UKRAINE DRONE ATTACK IS A WAKE-UP CALL FOR AMERICA ON CHINA
Trump fundamentally does not realize that Putin is only pretending to be his respectful partner. And in that failure, Trump fails to recognize that he is being played by a Red Banner Institute master manipulator.
Trump may think this call readout makes him look serious and determined. In reality, he’s only providing more fodder for Russian state TV hosts to further mock him on their prime-time shows. And providing more confidence for Putin that the leader of the free world will continue to watch impotently as he burns a people fighting for their freedom.