Vladimir Putin has the right to celebrate. Donald Trump treated him with the utmost respect. Were it not for his sound reasoning, he would have believed that the Soviet Union was still standing and that his real title was Secretary General of the Communist Party.
Trump not only repeatedly acknowledged Russia’s importance as a major power, but he acted as though the West had committed a sin in Ukraine. He had previously summoned Zelenskyy to the White House where he humiliated him. He had described the war in Ukraine as “Biden’s war”, not his war. What more could the master of the Kremlin want?
The master of the White House washed his hands clean of Ukraine’s fate, telling Zelenskyy that he should forget about the territories occupied by Russian forces. Putin likely never dreamed that he would ever hear the supposed leader of the western camp utter such statements. He did not pause at the danger of using tanks to erase international borders. He did not raise an eyebrow at the danger of altering the borders in Europe, which had witnessed the horrors of two world wars.
Trump spoke about the costs of the war and the fortunes spent by America there, saying that they have been squandered. He threw the burden of continuing the conflict on the Europeans.
It isn’t easy for the world to watch Putin as he strode down the red carpet on US soil without offering his eager host even a modest gift such as a ceasefire or truce. This czar is stingy, stubborn and cold-hearted. He is not fooled by others’ smiles or praise. Trump broke Putin’s isolation that he caused when he decided to invade Ukraine. Trump never received anything in return for this golden favor. He only received statements that stroked his massive ego. Putin said Trump was right when he claimed the war in Ukraine would never have happened had he been president.
Putin has the right to celebrate. Trump did not see the war in Ukraine as a cause worthy of being tackled according to international laws and maintaining balances of power. Rather, he saw it as a result of Ukraine, Europe and successive American administrations wronging Russia. Trump is not handling the war based on how dangerous it is, rather he is dealing with it as if he were Mother Theresa, calling for an end to funerals and destruction of infrastructure. Many in the West fear that the world will pay the price of Trump seeking a Nobel Peace Prize and readiness to stop the wars whichever way the cards fall.
Putin used several cards against the West. The first was convincing his allies and opponents that he cannot lose in Ukraine, because that would mean he would lose the Russian Federation. He adeptly used the nuclear threat, especially through the alarming statements by his shadow Dmitry Medvedev. Inside Russia, Putin successfully silenced critics of the war, and even silenced the protests of mothers mourning their sons lost in combat.
He also succeeded in exploiting China’s deep desire to weaken the US and West before it pounces on Taiwan. It is odd that Trump believes himself to be the cover, umbrella, guarantee and safety valve. It is no easy feat for him to claim that Xi Jinping had informed him that China will not attack Taiwan as long as he is president of the US. This clearly means that Taiwan’s safety hinges on Trump remaining in office. It is an odd way to approach crises, destinies and issues.
The solution was never going to be America joining the war and risk expanding the conflict. But ending the conflict by adopting the Russian narrative will deepen European fears and raise concerns about the danger of relying on America inside and outside of NATO. Trump, along with European allies, could have prepared some form of negotiations framework, instead of stripping Zelenskyy of all of his cards. But Trump is not a team player, but a soloist.
In the 1990s and early 21st Century, the question was what would happen to the Soviet Union in wake of its collapse. I posed that question to several heads of communist parties in Iraq, Sudan and Lebanon and they all replied that the world will not withstand for long the massive tilt in the West’s favor and that Russia will eventually rise to reclaim its position, possibly even taking revenge against the West.
After Putin assumed the presidency, some said that the military and intelligence service chose him for the mission to save the Russian Federation from fragmentation and take revenge against those who assassinated the Soviet Union without firing a single bullet.
In the international jungle, you have no choice but to be strong so that you don’t become the victim. In the international jungle, small and weak countries turn into tragedies. Do the powerful have the right to usurp the decisions of their weaker neighbors and to annex their territories citing tales from history? What about the United Nations and international laws? Are arsenals the only safety guarantees? Are hostile policies necessary to survive in the jungle?
They watched from afar as the czar strode down the red carpet in Alaska. Zelenskyy watched woefully, the German chancellor with concern, the master of the Elysee with confusion, and the resident of 10 Downing Street at a loss. Who knows, perhaps the Ukrainian crisis is an example that proves might is right and that it can dictate its conditions and even change maps. If only the Nobel Peace Prize committee would hurry up and grant the master of the White House its prize; maybe the solo player will then allow the concerned countries to shape their destinies.
