Several times over the past two weeks, President Trump has reversed his Ukraine policy, shifting wildly between his default position and Flattering Vladimir Putin and making concessions To put pressure on him for some flexibility on the ceasefire.
trump Protested again with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for refusing to renounce Ukraine’s sovereignty (after suggesting he could drive Russia out of all of Ukraine), and ultimately ended Canceling another ill-advised summit with Putinto impose long delayed approval On Russia’s two largest oil producing companies.
Trump may not appreciate the comparison, but his erratic policy shifts partly reflect former President Biden’s own hesitations over an appropriate response to Putin’s aggression.
Biden said he would accept first “A little intrusion” by Russia and No-fly zone rejected For fear of starting a “Third World War”. He only vetoed the use of modern American and German tanks and other Western weapon systems. Later turn yourself upside down. He Ukraine’s ability to strike targets deep inside Russia was disrupted, defining all conflicts as one The existential struggle for peace in Europe and preservation of international order.
Overall, as Putin and his allies in Beijing, Pyongyang and Tehran certainly do, Biden and Trump’s series of hesitations and strategic vacillations convey a sense of American strategic decline and confusion. And this is just one phase of what could become a war on three or four fronts. Trump needs to act now to prevent that nightmare scenario.
Trump must understand that the war in Ukraine is not just a clash of personalities between two individuals “hate each other” But it is the largest outbreak of cross-border aggression in Europe since World War II. He must know that this only began (and continues) because of Russia’s ongoing aggression and war crimes, and that other hostile powers are part of the anti-West offensive.
Yes, the conflict began during the weak Obama-Biden and Biden-Harris national security terms, but it is growing and potentially spreading under Trump-Vance. This situation could change if Trump finally frees Ukraine and gives it the right to do what he said two weeks ago, a realistic possibility: drive out the Russian invaders,
Apparently, Trump would not be doing this out of compassion for Ukraine’s many victims or moral outrage over Putin’s massive violations of international law and norms. More likely, it will reflect their disillusionment with Putin’s cherished reputation as a strongman who knows how to get his way and is ruthlessly efficient at doing it.
Trump is gone Calling Putin a “genius” last week to label him as a “paper tiger.” The way Trump describes Russia’s current difficulties in Ukraine – “They expected to win it in three days,” He appeared to be disappointed that Russia did not go as small in its 2022 invasion as it did in eastern Ukraine and Crimea in 2014, he said at the UN General Assembly last month. He may now see Putin as an inevitable loser – in Trump’s eyes, This is the worst thing that can be said about a leader.
If we are seeing the emergence of a new Trump, or at least a new Trump Ukraine policy, the first thing he should do is send in the Tomahawks. Hanging in front of Ukraine for some exciting days Until Putin spoke to him again.
Next, it must persuade America’s NATO allies to use frozen Russian assets to purchase additional Tomahawk and other advanced weapons systems to avoid imposing unbearable costs on Russia for continuing the war. China should also bear the cost through increased sanctions supporting Russian aggression,
Trump should also give Putin a public ultimatum: unless he agrees to end the war and pull out of Ukraine entirely, the US will take more active and direct involvement on Ukraine’s side, and make a concerted effort to persuade NATO to admit Ukraine as a full member.
This development would amount to a military and political defeat for Putin. To make it as complete and meaningful on a global scale as the unconditional surrender of Japan and Germany that ended World War II, Trump must inform the Russian people that if they choose to free themselves from the Putin regime, the United States is ready, willing, and able to lead the West in supporting this effort in overt and covert ways.
This resolution will also send a message to China, Iran and North Korea that their days of terrorizing their neighbors and their populations are fast coming to an end. Such an outcome would certainly justify multiple Nobel Prizes for Trump – one awarded each year for peacefully overthrowing one of the world’s four dictators.
Joseph Bosco served as Country Director for China for the Secretary of Defense from 2005 to 2006 and Asia-Pacific Director for Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief from 2009 to 2010. He is a non-resident fellow at the Institute for Korean-American Studies, a member of the advisory board of the Global Taiwan Institute, and a member of the advisory board of the Vandenberg Coalition.
