Trump falling into familiar Putin trap as peace talks stall

The delusion persists ever since Vladimir Putin became Russia’s president in 2004 US presidents have wanted to be his friend, and every time the relationship ends in tears, President Trump is the latest suitor. On February 18, he dispatched Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, National Security Advisor Mike waltz and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff to Saudi Arabia for meetings with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, the goal set the table for peace talks on Ukraine and reduce tensions between America and Russia. After several hours with Lavrov, Rubio was encouraged. He said that Russia was interested in ending the war and that a cease fire might be the first step toward a new approach in US policy toward Russia, what that incredible opportunity might be. Rubio did not say, nor did he explain why Putin and his bag man Lavrov ought to be trusted. Indeed, today, Russia has taken no action that suggests it is truly interested in peace or a cease fire. On the contrary, the Russian military has increased the tempo of its offensive operations. Fresh Russian and North Korean troops, backed by relentless artillery, are driving hard to retake the pocket of Russian territory that Ukrainians captured last year. Iranian made drones and rockets pound Ukraine’s energy infrastructure and civilian population, even as President Trump says on social media that he is, quote, strongly considering large scale banking sanctions, sanctions and tariffs on Russia until a cease fire and final settlement agreement on peace is reached. In all caps, Trump has done nothing but pause US military aid to and intelligence sharing with Ukraine before restarting it. Meanwhile, asked during a march 10 media availability, if he thought Putin wants peace, Trump said, I believe him, that makes one of us. Most recently on March 18, Trump and Putin agreed, during a long phone call to end attacks on energy infrastructure while negotiations proceed. Yet, whether even that slight concession will hold is doubtful. Trump’s first term initiatives, more money for defense, financial sanctions, lethal aid to Ukraine, withdrawal from the INF Treaty, sanctions on the Nord Stream two pipeline, and above all, the destruction of Russian mercenary forces in Syria. Rude departure from the norm. Presidents George W Bush and Barack Obama both tried to welcome Putin into the international fold. They both sought areas of cooperation with Russia. They both extended their hands to Putin. He slapped them down. Bucha famously said he was able to get a sense of Putin’s soul. After 911 our two nations shared intelligence. Then Russia joined with Germany and France in opposing the war against Saddam Hussein America supported the color revolutions that overthrew Russian backed kleptocrats in 2007 Putin went to the Munich Security Conference and declared his intention to challenge the US led unipolar world. Russia invaded the Republic of Georgia. The next year, Obama ordered a US retreat from Iraq, cut defense spending and canceled missile defense plans in eastern and central Europe. Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton presented Lavrov with a reset button one year into Obama’s second term, Putin annexed Crimea. He launched a guerrilla war in eastern Ukraine. He intervened in Syria’s civil war. Those Trump era hardline policies were among the first that President Biden threw overboard. The Biden foreign policy team wanted to park Russia into a stable and predictable relationship with the United States, but on February 24 2022 Russian tank comms roll toward Kyiv. Now, Trump is forgetting the lesson of his first term and repeating the mistakes of the past. He has spent the first months of this administration weakening Ukraine and flattering Russia. He is walking with eyes open into a trap that has been set many times before and from which there is no easy or honorable escape.