Russian President Vladimir Putin is consistently uncompromising. His stance on ending the Ukraine war remains unchanged: He demands total victory, or fighting continues.
President Donald Trump has finally accepted this reality and readjusted his stance. At a Tuesday Cabinet meeting, he showed rare exasperation with Putin: “We get a lot of bulls*** thrown at us by Putin,” whose conciliatory posturing “turns out to be meaningless.”
Trump long boasted that his “great relationship” with Putin would secure a quick peace deal. The lesson is one his predecessors learned the hard way, too.
Former President Bill Clinton hoped to coax Putin into the international democratic order, remaining silent on high civilian casualties in Putin’s Second Chechen War. Putin instead moved toward despotism.
Former President George W. Bush found Putin “very straightforward and trustworthy” and claimed he’d “gained a sense of his soul.” Yet Putin repeatedly crossed him, invading Georgia, launching a cyberattack against NATO ally Estonia, and supporting Iran’s nuclear program.
Former President Barack Obama adopted a strategy of appeasement upon taking office, seeking a “reset” with Putin despite his invasion of Georgia five months prior. Putin then annexed Crimea and propped up Bashar Assad in Syria.
Former President Joe Biden left his 2021 summit with Putin in Geneva buoyed by the meeting’s positive tone. “All foreign policy is a logical extension of personal relationships. It’s the way human nature functions,” he explained. We all know what happened next.
Meanwhile, Putin consistently tells Trump one thing and does another, as he has since the beginning of Trump’s second term. Putin courts the president through personal flattery and promises of economic cooperation while intensifying strikes on Ukraine, culminating in Russia’s recent aerial bombardment and front-line push.
As Putin’s leverage increased with every territorial gain, Trump wisely decided enough was enough this week, announcing resumed defensive arms supplies for Ukraine. This likely includes an additional Patriot air defense system, marking Trump’s first approval of a major weapons system not originally authorized by Biden.
Few desire increased U.S. military involvement, especially among Trump’s base. Trump himself seemingly did all he could to avoid this. But Putin’s intransigence and unbending resolve to address the war’s “root causes,” demilitarizing Ukraine and dominating its future, make Trump’s decision unavoidable. Putin only responds to force. If that isn’t clear now, it never will be.
Helping Ukraine defend itself is also a moral imperative. Trump acknowledged this during the Cabinet meeting, stating Putin “is not treating human beings right” and “is killing too many people.” This moral clarity should guide the West through this murky conflict.
Beyond supplying air defense systems, Trump can pursue crippling sanctions that severely limit Russia’s ability to wage war. The Sanctioning Russia Act of 2025, introduced by Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), proposes a 500% tariff on imports from countries buying Russian oil and gas. This strikes at Russia’s $200 billion energy export market, which funds the Russian military. The bill also prohibits financial transactions between U.S. entities and designated Russian actors, including officials and oligarchs, restricts Russian banks’ access to international financial systems, and restricts investments in Russian industries.
Graham said this week of the sanctions bill, “We’re moving,” adding, “The president told me it’s time to move, so we’re going to move.”
NO UKRAINE AID IS ‘AMERICA FIRST’?
If directly challenging Putin on the battlefield is too risky, given his massive nuclear arsenal, ratcheting up domestic pressure on his regime provides a serviceable alternative. We must crush Putin’s military economy and domestic support moving forward.
We are encouraged by Trump’s pivot on Putin. It’s a difficult path, but the right one to take in pursuit of eventual peace.