The Kremlin and its online supporters have reacted strongly against President Trump following his unexpected reversal regarding the Russia-Ukraine War. Previously, Trump hosted Russian President Vladimir Putin at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, and it was communicated that Trump had achieved what he needed from the meeting, signaling imminent progress towards ending the war. This viewpoint was reinforced by analyses such as National Security Analyst: Trump ‘Got What He Needed’ in Alaska – RedState.
However, during his speech at the UN Security Council meeting on Tuesday, Trump shifted his stance dramatically. Since taking office, he appeared intent on aligning the resolution of the Russia-Ukraine conflict with outcomes favorable to Putin. Notably, Trump unceremoniously dismissed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky from the White House following a stern reprimand from Vice President JD Vance; see BREAKING: After Fiery Oval Office Exchange, Trump Sends Zelensky Packing – RedState. But Tuesday marked a departure from that narrative.
Trump expressed newfound understanding of the Ukraine-Russia military and economic situation, noting the economic strain on Russia. He suggested that with the support of the European Union, Ukraine could potentially reclaim its original territory. He claimed that with European financial backing, especially from NATO, reverting to the pre-war borders was feasible. Trump criticized Russia’s prolonged engagement in the war, portraying them as ineffective despite their military might. Highlighting Russia’s economic difficulties, Trump argued that Ukraine, bolstered by its resilient spirit, could reclaim its country and potentially further. Trump extended well-wishes to both nations, affirming continued U.S. support in supplying weapons to NATO.
DONALD J. TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
Ward Clark agrees with the notion that “take back their Country in its original form” refers to the pre-February 2022 status, disregarding Russia’s 2022 annexation of Ukrainian territories. This context aligns with Trump’s previous inclination to distance himself from the conflict; see Is Trump Pulling the Plug on His Role in Ending the Russia-Ukraine War? – RedState. During the UN session, Trump nostalgically reflected on his past diplomatic successes and the surprising complexity of the Russia-Ukraine war, expressing goodwill towards both nations in his Truth Social post.
Trump’s change in perspective is driven by multiple factors. Putin has consistently undermined Trump’s set “deadlines” for ceasefires or negotiations, leading to tensions exemplified by Russian drones trespassing into Polish airspace and violations of Estonian airspace by Russian aircraft. The situation escalated to involve Article 4 invocations and emergency talks by Poland and Estonia, alongside Trump authorizing future defensive measures against such violations.
BACKGROUND:
Poland Invokes Article 4 of the NATO Treaty Over Drone Invasion; Russia Says Nothing Happened – RedState
Russia Sends Three Fighters Into NATO Airspace Setting the Stage for a Larger Confrontation – RedState
Trump Meets With Zelensky, Tells NATO Countries What to Do to Russian Aircraft That Violate Airspace – RedState
Despite this, Russia is displeased with Trump’s remarks, particularly his categorization of their war efforts as “aimless” over several years and describing them as a “paper tiger.” Although these observations may hold truth, they are not sentiments Russia wishes to hear, especially from Trump, who has been a controversial figure in their diplomatic encounters.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry “Pornstache” Peskov used a local radio show to pooh-pooh Trump’s social media message, “Russia is in no way a tiger. Still, Russia is more compared with a bear. There are no paper bears.” However, there are pooh-bears; but then Putin would have to wrest the image away from his buddy, Chinese dictator Xi Jinping.
The rest of Putin’s clown car weighed in.
The outspoken former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev mocked Trump’s new position, saying he had been given a dose of “alternative reality,” and noted his often-changing views of the conflict.
“I have no doubt — he will come back. He always comes back,” Medvedev wrote about Trump on X. “The main thing is to radically change your point of view on various issues more often. And everything will be fine. That’s the essence of successful government through social media.”
Margarita Simonyan, who heads the Russian English-language state news channel RT, dismissed the U.S. president’s support for Zelensky as that of a carnival huckster.
“Trump debuts as the tarot card reader telling the thrice-divorced lady that she is going to meet that billionaire prince after all, as long as she buys the magic crystals,” she wrote on X.
It appears that the Russians have realized they may have overplayed their hand. So far, the response has been much more muted than I would have expected, and the commentary is taking place in venues where it won’t receive a lot of attention within Russia. In major Russian media, the story is portrayed as Trump not being terribly bright and nothing to worry about.
Today’s edition of the Izvestiya newspaper suggests the first reason.
“It’s important to remember that Trump is influenced by the last person he has spoken to,” wrote Izvestiya. “In this case it was Zelensky.”
In other words, Moscow believes that Donald Trump’s views on Ukraine are not set in stone and that he can be persuaded to come round to Russia’s view.
“We will have the opportunity to convey our position to the American side,” Peskov tells me. “Our foreign minister Sergei Lavrov can do this. He’s meeting his counterpart [US Secretary of State Marco Rubio] in New York on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly.”
If they don’t like Angry Trump, they definitely will not like Jilted Trump.
With Trump and the hapless Steve Witkoff out of the negotiations, but America’s armories open “to NATO for NATO to do what they want with them” would be a huge boon for Ukraine. It would remove some of the pro-Russia voices in Trump’s Pentagon from the mix, reduce US meddling in Ukraine’s target selection, and bring home to Putin that there is no magic bullet to ending the war.
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