US President Donald Trump’s mounting frustration with Russia President Vladimir Putin over his refusal to agree ceasefire terms in Ukraine could be a game-changer in the three-and-a-half-year conflict.
Since returning to the White House in January, ending the war in Ukraine has been one of the Trump administration’s most pressing priorities. While his boast that he would end the conflict within 24 hours of taking office was always unrealistic, the president has nonetheless invested a great deal of time and effort in seeking a peaceful resolution.
At the diplomatic level, he has pressed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to accept Washington’s outline ceasefire proposal, which requires Kyiv to accept Russia’s continued occupation of its territory in eastern Ukraine and the Crimea. To persuade Putin, Trump has suggested that Ukraine’s quest for full NATO membership would be put on hold indefinitely.
Russia’s offensive
Even though Zelenskyy has agreed to accept the ceasefire terms in return for an immediate end to Russia’s military offensive, Trump—who has never been the most enthusiastic supporter of the Ukrainian cause—has scaled down Washington’s military support for Kyiv, severely undermining Ukraine’s ability to defend itself.
Given that a negotiated end to the conflict is Trump’s priority, the White House seems to think that bolstering Ukraine’s military while talks are underway is a bad idea. Seeing this, Russian forces have launched a huge offensive to capture more territory, while attacking Ukraine’s major cities from the air. Kyiv is now struggling to defend its eastern front because of weapons shortages.
Only last week, the Pentagon said it had halted shipments of some air defence missiles and other precision munitions to Ukraine due to worries about US stockpiles. White House Deputy Press Secretary Anna Kelly said the decision “was made to put America’s interests first, following a review,” adding: “The strength of the US Armed Forces remains unquestioned. Just ask Iran.”
Tapping Trump along
The move to reduce US military support for Ukraine was taken shortly before Trump spoke to Putin on a call, one of several such conversations in recent months. This dialogue began promisingly, with Trump indicating back in February that Putin was genuinely interested in doing a deal.
But as negotiations have dragged on, Trump has become increasingly frustrated with the lack of progress and has publicly questioned whether Putin is simply “tapping me along” to buy more time for Russian forces to press their advantage on the battlefield.
