Trying to fathom what Trump is going to do next is almost impossible. One day he is berating Russian President [Vladimir Putin](https://inews.co.uk/topic/vladimir-putin?ico=in-line_link), the next day he is praising him. The same goes for Ukraine’s [Volodymyr Zelensky](https://inews.co.uk/topic/volodymyr-zelensky?ico=in-line_link). These games may keep his followers in the White House happy, but they are a nightmare for the people of Ukraine who have been at war, through no fault of their own, for well over three years.
But the US President’s blinkered and thick-skinned approach misses two key things. First, that [Putin is not interested in peace](https://inews.co.uk/news/world/putin-pulled-off-masterstroke-hes-voice-trumps-ear-3989674?ico=most_popular), and secondly, that Zelensky knows that if he gives up Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region, as Putin and Trump insist, it opens the door to Russian forces walking into Kyiv. This would subjugate the whole of his country, which is Putin’s plan today and was his plan in February 2022 when he launched his full-scale invasion.
The irony of trying to meet Putin in Budapest is not lost on those interested in history. It was here in 1994 that the US, the UK and Russia agreed to protect Ukraine in return for it giving up its stockpile of Soviet-era nuclear weapons. It is unlikely Putin would have invaded in 2022 if Ukraine still had nuclear weapons, as one thing we know about him is that he respects strength.
He and Trump consider themselves the “big dogs” in this fight, and Ukraine and Europe are yapping terriers to be kicked about. It is time these terriers form a pack – or rather, pact – to protect themselves, because collectively they have the grunt and snarl to see off Russian attack beasts.
I’m no longer sure this is even about Putin, or ending the war. I’m not sure Trump or anyone around him has a coherent plan to end the war.
I think Trump wants any headline about him that is not `Epstein files’. The best way to get that is to say something that contradicts his earlier stand on Ukraine.
I wonder if Trump understands his volatility in international politics makes him look extremely weak. In addition, it’s interesting if his voter base even cares about that.
His words have no meaning, and you might say what he does actually matters, but it doesn’t look like he’s achieved anything of significance so far.
What I’m pretty sure about though, is that he’s aware Russians have him by the balls.
3 comments
They say “ambiguity” is a great stance when you are playing poker, or trying to do a business deal, but [Donald Trump](https://inews.co.uk/topic/donald-trump?ico=in-line_link) is playing this line to its absolute limits when it comes to [Ukraine](https://inews.co.uk/topic/ukraine?ico=in-line_link).
Trying to fathom what Trump is going to do next is almost impossible. One day he is berating Russian President [Vladimir Putin](https://inews.co.uk/topic/vladimir-putin?ico=in-line_link), the next day he is praising him. The same goes for Ukraine’s [Volodymyr Zelensky](https://inews.co.uk/topic/volodymyr-zelensky?ico=in-line_link). These games may keep his followers in the White House happy, but they are a nightmare for the people of Ukraine who have been at war, through no fault of their own, for well over three years.
In Trump’s desperation for a deal with Putin, especially after bringing off a [ceasefire](https://inews.co.uk/news/five-things-know-gaza-ceasefire-breakthrough-five-minutes-3959016?srsltid=AfmBOoqAl4by0egkZY6VSJL0RYS7eaNZy33h3b6Q-9t3zVUZyMKkpvWk&ico=in-line_link) in Gaza, he seems to want to rush Kyiv into an unjust peace agreement. Trump did not get his [coveted Nobel Peace Prize](https://inews.co.uk/news/nobel-peace-prize-2025-winner-donald-trump-3965751?ico=in-line_link) this year, which was announced days after the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas was signed. He looks hell-bent on getting a medal in 2026.
But the US President’s blinkered and thick-skinned approach misses two key things. First, that [Putin is not interested in peace](https://inews.co.uk/news/world/putin-pulled-off-masterstroke-hes-voice-trumps-ear-3989674?ico=most_popular), and secondly, that Zelensky knows that if he gives up Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region, as Putin and Trump insist, it opens the door to Russian forces walking into Kyiv. This would subjugate the whole of his country, which is Putin’s plan today and was his plan in February 2022 when he launched his full-scale invasion.
After what seemed like a far too chummy phone call with Russia’s leader last week – and a far too aggressive meeting with Zelensky – Trump proposed another of his peacemaking whistle-stop hops across the Atlantic. That meeting with [Putin in the Hungarian capital of Budapest](https://inews.co.uk/news/world/trump-to-hold-talks-with-putin-in-hungary-in-effort-to-end-ukraine-war-3984463?ico=in-line_link) has now been indefinitely postponed.
The irony of trying to meet Putin in Budapest is not lost on those interested in history. It was here in 1994 that the US, the UK and Russia agreed to protect Ukraine in return for it giving up its stockpile of Soviet-era nuclear weapons. It is unlikely Putin would have invaded in 2022 if Ukraine still had nuclear weapons, as one thing we know about him is that he respects strength.
He and Trump consider themselves the “big dogs” in this fight, and Ukraine and Europe are yapping terriers to be kicked about. It is time these terriers form a pack – or rather, pact – to protect themselves, because collectively they have the grunt and snarl to see off Russian attack beasts.
I’m no longer sure this is even about Putin, or ending the war. I’m not sure Trump or anyone around him has a coherent plan to end the war.
I think Trump wants any headline about him that is not `Epstein files’. The best way to get that is to say something that contradicts his earlier stand on Ukraine.
I wonder if Trump understands his volatility in international politics makes him look extremely weak. In addition, it’s interesting if his voter base even cares about that.
His words have no meaning, and you might say what he does actually matters, but it doesn’t look like he’s achieved anything of significance so far.
What I’m pretty sure about though, is that he’s aware Russians have him by the balls.
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