Analysis: Trump’s Flip Lets Putin Carry On
During a flight to Alaska ahead of a high-stakes meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, President Trump vowed there would be “severe consequences” if Russia didn’t agree to a ceasefire in Ukraine. “I’m in this to stop the killing,” he declared aboard Air Force One. But the talks ended without any such agreement—and without any follow-through on the promised consequences.
By the following day, Trump had quietly shelved the ceasefire plan entirely, according to reporting by The New York Times. The outcome, writes Times correspondent Peter Baker, effectively grants Putin the green light to continue his military campaign in Ukraine without fear of reprisal.
“Even in the annals of Mr. Trump’s erratic presidency, the Anchorage meeting with Mr. Putin now stands out as a reversal of historic proportions,” Baker noted.
Former U.S. Ambassador to NATO Ivo Daalder criticized Trump’s rapid about-face, suggesting that the president had been easily manipulated. “He got played again,” Daalder said. “Despite all the talk of a ceasefire, economic punishment, and disappointment, it only took a few minutes of flattery—on the tarmac and in the limo—for Putin to flip the script.”
According to The New York Times, skipping the ceasefire now leaves peace negotiations focused on Ukraine ceding territory to Russia. Meanwhile, the tough sanctions Trump had previously threatened, complete with firm deadlines, appear to have been quietly dropped.
Speaking to Fox News later Friday, Trump downplayed the shift: “Because of what happened today, I think I don’t have to think about that now,” he said, referring to the previously discussed sanctions.
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