Donald Trump appears to be engaged in a diplomatic full court press of sorts to end more than three years of warfare and civilian slaughter in Ukraine brought on by the Russian regime’s 2022 invasion of a sovereign state. While an end to hostilities is a laudable objective, Trump’s chaotic and cavalier approach to statecraft has— so far— only served to cement a long-held opinion that this deeply flawed narcissist is the least equipped leader to represent us on the world stage.
In schoolyard terminology: For all his bravado, Donald Trump looked and acted like a chump in Alaska.
Yes, Putin has duped US presidents before. But, to watch this commander-in-chief applaud and grip-and-grin an indicted war criminal on American soil was a wretched, shameful moment.
Perhaps the spectacle would have been less offensive had Trump, the professed master dealmaker, delivered any tangible movement toward a ceasefire, the concession he’d assured us he’d get, or else there’d be “serious consequences” for Russia. And to prove that it was just the bluster of a serially bankrupt conman, Trump skipped out of the Anchorage summit with nada. No deal, no ceasefire.
In a particularly pitiful moment, when Putin closed his rambling remarks by blaming Joe Biden for triggering the Ukraine invasion that Putin himself ordered and prosecuted at the cost of tens of thousands civilian lives and perhaps one million total casualties over the last 41 months and three weeks, Trump just grinned and nodded. It’s a complete fantasy, but because it demeans Joe Biden, it’s catnip for Trump the chump and he sopped it up like a pussycat. Purr.
Pathetic.
It would be laughable if — as Donald Trump seems to think— this was all just about him and his obsession with winning a Nobel in Oslo. It’s not. As European leaders from across the ideological spectrum grasp instinctively, the outcome of this process could very well define the balance of power for generations, and not just on the European continent.
Trump’s team must know this. Monday brought a new assemblage and tone as Ukraine’s Zelenskyy arrived to the White House with not one or two but seven European heads-of-state in tow to help pry the chump from Putin’s clutches. Suddenly Trump was trotting out the idea of US boots on the ground in Ukraine to support an eventual treaty and NATO-like security guarantees. The next day? Scratch that; we won’t send troops.
This chaos and ineptitude knows no end. Meanwhile, the drones and missiles keep plunging into housing blocks and shopping centers in Kyiv and a thousand die each day on the frontlines meat grinder. It’s madness.
And, ultimately, that serves the purpose of just one side: Russia’s Putin, who must look to the heavens each day and thank whatever power they worship in the Kremlin that the world’s greatest state elected this quisling as its president. Twice.
Some are praising him for trying to bring peace. Fine. Neville Chamberlain got his share of good press for a few days after Munich. It’s high time the United States Congress exercised its powers and voted through the sort of sanctions that Putin and his murderous regime deserve. Blow a real hole in their economy and war-making capacity. Send a message: We aren’t all a bunch of pussycats.
