Still, Trump fumbles through his calls, swinging from threats of sanctions one day to warm neutrality the next. He floated sanctions. Then pulled back. He mused that maybe Putin has “gone CRAZY” – but not so crazy that he should face immediate consequences. And always, always, he made it clear: “This isn’t my war.”
Putin has no need to make concessions now. Russian forces are still grinding forward, at great cost, but forward nonetheless. His economy is bruised but functional. His people are largely acquiescent. And crucially, Trump’s dithering has signalled that Washington’s appetite to fight this war – even indirectly – may be waning.
People at a book festival in St Petersburg walk in front of a poster of Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday.Credit: AP
Moscow responded overnight with studied calm – or a performance of it. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov dismissed Trump’s criticism, attributing it to “emotional overload” at a “very crucial moment”.
“We are really grateful to the Americans and to President Trump personally for their assistance in organising and launching this negotiation process,” he told reporters. His subtext was clear. The war may look like chaos, but for the Kremlin, it’s still on message, and still on schedule.
But it’s not just Ukraine’s war either. It’s Europe’s, and increasingly the world’s. Because a leader who builds a shrine to Stalin in a capital city is not simply honouring history – he’s issuing a warning.
Trump liked to boast he could end the war in 24 hours. Maybe that’s true. Hand Putin everything he wants, look away from Crimea and Donbas, call the rubble of Kyiv a peace dividend – job done. The war ends. Ukraine’s struggle doesn’t.
President Donald Trump addresses a Memorial Day Observance at Arlington National Cemetery on Monday.Credit: AP
Meanwhile, Moscow’s metro glows under Stalin’s resurrected gaze. And the West, again, is caught asking the wrong question.
It’s not when Putin will be ready for peace. It’s why anyone still thinks he ever was.
