After meeting with the NATO Secretary General, the US president made several statements related to Russia, which probably made even his fiercest critics have the strange sensation of actually agreeing with him.
- He has shown a determination to increase military aid to Ukraine, in a very ambitious way.
- He has encouraged Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to strike deep into Russian territory.
- He admitted what had long since become obvious – that for months he let Putin lead him by the nose.
- He has threatened Russia’s partners with tariffs in case they try and help Moscow through the back door (although the 50-day ultimatum given to Russia seems long enough to suspect the American leader of having carved himself out a window of time long enough to have a change of mind).
In fact, this – the possibility of hesitation or even of him changing his mind – is the problematic element in what Donald Trump has just said so beautifully: he comes forward with lofty words, he changes his mind, but is a lack of deeds and results.
But even so, it’s still a remarkable moment because after the meeting with Mark Rutte, Donald Trump has at least created two new horizons:
- He himself acknowledged criticism of his approach to the Russian-Ukrainian file.
- He himself admitted that the universe of possibilities for ending the war in Ukraine is no longer reduced to the “Trump way” – pressuring Ukraine to comply with Russia’s absurd and dangerous demands.
Compared to the objective needs of Ukraine and its European allies, in the context of the war, the progress made by Trump has as “fast” as a snail and as “straight” as a slithering snake. But compared to the dynamics of the Trumpist universe, the latest progress appears to be both a development and a revolution.
To the Ukrainians and Europeans, Trump has offered an improved take on things, but not enough clarity. For the Russians, Trump complicated their calculations to some extent, but without fully convincing them of the danger of a real change at the White House. It is very likely that the Ukrainians, Europeans and Russians expected this change to happen at some point.
The great irony is that, in a way, the current American president acts very democratically: he manages to dive all sides crazy, despite the fact that the camps have totally different opinions. He did it for months on end first with the Ukrainians and the Europeans and now with the Russians.
As far as Donald Trump goes, the Ukrainians, Europeans and Russians have learned that they can expect anything and nothing. Rarely has Washington been able to create such a reality and cultivate such a perception in international relations.
At this point, Trump seems to have put the cannon on the Russians.
Therefore, if the US president has come this far (from the perspective of Trump’s modest standards), the Ukrainians and Europeans just have to take things as they are – so try to keep the flame alive and try to quickly set up a proper rotisserie for Moscow.
At best, Trump will demonstrate some consistency between what he actually does and what he has just announced, and reduce the pressure on Ukraine, both on the front and among the civilian population.
In the worst case, the American, despite his words, may have a change of mind. In such a context, Russian aggression will reach new heights, and the collaboration between Ukrainians and Europeans will be pushed to even bolder innovations.
The important thing is that something will still remain of what Trump dared to say the other day. The elements noted in points 1 and 2 above will remain, as they can no longer be deleted: the fact that Trump validated the criticisms against him and the fact that Trump admitted that he doesn’t or no longer has a monopoly on solutions for ending the war.
Over time, the Ukrainians and Europeans will be able to find ways to exploit two horizons j created by Donald Trump, with tangible results. Of course, until that moment, the war will continue, more blood will be spilled and the premises of international instability, far beyond Ukrainian territory, will increase.
Be that as it may, Trump has been brought to the point of almost recognizing outright that, since January 20, Putin has humiliated him, Russia has made a mockery of America’s position, and China – the core of Trump’s geopolitical interest – has already gained enormously and will also continue to gain enormously in the future.
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