President Trump has boxed himself into a corner with Vladimir Putin over the war in Ukraine — and it’s not entirely clear how he gets out.
Trump’s claim that he could end the war in Ukraine within “24 hours” has already been falsified by events.
The president is now stuck between a Ukrainian president whom he regards with great skepticism and a Russian president who won’t do what he wants.
Specifically, Putin has launched intensifying barrages of drone and missile attacks against Ukrainian cities in recent days. In doing so, he is issuing the most obvious statement of defiance against Trump’s desire for a ceasefire.
Yet, at the same time, Trump has for a long time set his face against maintaining the scale and cadence of U.S. aid to Ukraine that was delivered under former President Biden after the Russian invasion of February 2022.
Trump has at times blamed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for a war begun by Russia. In the infamous Oval Office meeting in late February, Trump and Vice President Vance blasted Zelensky for supposed ingratitude for U.S. assistance.
Now, Trump is growing exasperated with Putin — and some of his Republican colleagues are demanding action beyond the words.
On Tuesday, Trump wrote on social media that “what Vladimir Putin doesn’t realize is that if it weren’t for me, lots of really bad things would have already happened to Russia, and I mean REALLY BAD. He’s playing with fire!”
As with many of Trump’s recent statements on the war, it wasn’t clear precisely what he meant. But this social media blast was the latest in a series of expressions of frustration with his Russian counterpart over the weekend.
Speaking with reporters on Sunday, Trump complained, “I’m not happy with what Putin’s doing. He’s killing a lot of people. And I don’t know what the hell happened to Putin.”
During that media encounter, Trump said that he was “absolutely” considering new sanctions against Moscow.
He sounded a similar tone of exasperation with Putin in a social media post, also on Sunday, where he reiterated that he had previously enjoyed “a very good relationship with Vladimir Putin of Russia but something has happened to him. He has gone absolutely CRAZY!”
In the Truth Social post, Trump contended that the new barrages of missiles and drones were occurring “for no reason whatsoever.” Trump also asserted that Putin wants “ALL of Ukraine” and that pursuing this objective could “lead to the downfall of Russia!”
In a contrast with his remarks to reporters, however, Trump leavened the social media thrust at Putin with criticism of Zelensky, as well. The president claimed that Zelensky was “doing his Country no favors by talking the way he does. Everything out of his mouth causes problems, I don’t like it and it better stop.”
Trump’s remarks — and Putin’s apparently blithe disregard of Trump’s urgings toward a ceasefire – are causing a degree of whiplash in the Make America Great Again (MAGA) base, and in the GOP more generally.
The MAGA base had enthusiastically echoed Trump’s earlier rhetorical fusillades against continued American aid to Ukraine, blaming Zelensky for supposed recalcitrance in not suing for peace.
Some prominent voices on the online right continue to be extremely critical of Zelensky and supportive of Trump pressing a hard line on Kyiv to end the conflict.
But several Republicans are sounding a very different tone.
On Tuesday, Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) wrote on social media that he believed Trump was sincere in believing that his warm relations with Putin could end the war. But, Grassley added, it was time for more stringent sanctions that would send a message of “game over” to the Russian leader.
A few hours later, Grassley, the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, drew a comparison between Trump’s no-holds-barred approach to his domestic battle with Harvard and his approach to Putin.
Using abbreviations, Grassley contended that Trump “shld take the decisive action agst Putin that he takes agst Harvard. Sanctions for Putin like no fed grants for Harvard.”
Others also lined up to intensify the calls against the Kremlin.
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) was careful to praise Trump for what he had done “to end this terrible war.”
But, Graham added, “To end any war, you must have willing partners. As of yet, Putin is not willing.”
On the House side, Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.) declared on Sunday it was “time for honesty. Peace talks are having zero effect on Putin.”
The Nebraska congressman said the U.S. and its allies “must arm Ukraine to the teeth, sanction Russia to the max, & confiscate the $300B in overseas Russian assets.”
But Trump faces a conundrum, rooted in his strident opposition to continued, large-scale military aid to Ukraine.
Taking that possibility off the table means that Trump is really offering only two alternatives: One is a ceasefire, in which Ukraine would make territorial concessions and make doubly clear that it won’t be admitted to NATO anytime soon. The other is the prospect that the U.S. will walk away from peace negotiations.
Last month, Trump said that a deal needed to come “quickly. We want to get it done.” If either of the warring nations balked, Trump warned, “We’re going to just take a pass.”
There is an obvious problem with that strategy: Its effect would be to help Russia.
So long as the U.S. backs away from aid to Ukraine, Moscow’s greater numbers and military muscle will prevail sooner or later – even if other European nations do their best to come to Kyiv’s aid.
Trump faces an uncomfortable choice.
Go back on his word and keep arming the Ukrainians, or potentially be seen as the American president who let Putin roll on to a victorious conquest.
The Memo is a reported column by Niall Stanage.