Former President Donald Trump recently engaged in a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin, prompting a wave of military actions and diplomatic statements regarding the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. Ukrainian military officials say they were confronted the other day with the largest VC barrage thus far of 367 drones and missiles. This was a clear escalation in the hostilities.
In the wake of the call, Trump indicated that a ceasefire was on the way. This is amid an escalation of military operations and artillery fire. Ukraine’s air force just announced that Putin started his bloody assault on Kyiv. He socked the city with 145 drones and 70 missiles, including 11 ballistic missiles. This vicious attack targeted energy facilities and caused the injury of at least 10 people.
Moscow’s response revealed an intention to deepen the crisis with retaliatory strikes. Recent accounts report that missile strikes on apartment buildings in Kyiv claimed four lives and left an estimated 20 people wounded. As the humanitarian toll reaches catastrophic levels while fighting continues unabated, civilian casualties are always preventable.
Building on the days after that assault, when Trump did briefly restart intelligence sharing with Ukraine… This announcement marked a reversal of a key long-standing facet of U.S. support for the besieged nation. His administration was crucial in pushing Ukrainian and European leaders towards an agreement. This accord lays out an unconditional 30-day ceasefire to start on May 12.
Trump’s comments on the ongoing conflict have made headlines in part for their jarring duality. He denounced Putin’s war, declaring that it would “bring about the end of Russian leadership.” At the same time, he revealed a very cavalier attitude about the whole war, equating the Russia-Ukraine situation to playground arguments between children.
“We get a lot of bulls**t thrown at us by [Russian President Vladimir] Putin,” – Mr. Trump.
In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, Trump took a more conciliatory approach, saying that his relationship with Putin would be “pragmatic and trusting.” He characterized his recent conversation with Putin as productive, stating, “Just completed my two-hour call with President Vladimir Putin of Russia. I believe it went very well.”
Despite the deepening devastation, Trump still claimed he could get both sides to the negotiating table in 24 hours. He expressed a desire for an immediate end to hostilities:
“Look, Vladimir Putin really has to end that war,” – Mr. Trump.
He emphasized the importance of negotiations between Russia and Ukraine, noting, “The conditions for that will be negotiated between the two parties, as it can only be.” As an example, Trump’s swaggering posture is on full display in his initial claim. He declared that each country would begin discussions for a cessation of hostilities, followed by settlement of the conflict.
Even though he is supremely confident that he can obtain a rapid resolution, the implications of his comments have alarmed those in diplomatic circles. His comments imply a deeply misguided understanding of how foreign policy should work. He even suggested allowing the two sides to “duel for a time” before intervening.
As military incidents continued to unfold, record numbers of drones and missiles were reported to have been fired by Russia at Ukraine. By the end of June, that number grew to a shocking 728 drones and 13 missiles. One of the most devastating assaults targeted Kharkiv, forcing civilians to endure nine unbroken minutes of drone explosions.
