Frustrated Trump warns 'crazy' Putin

What happened

President Donald Trump's friendly relationship with Vladimir Putin soured last week, after he called the Russian dictator "absolutely crazy" for unleashing his largest-ever missile and drone barrage on Ukrainian civilians. The Kremlin dismissed Trump's comments as evidence of "emotional overload," even as it continued its days-long bombardment of Ukraine with more than 1,300 drones and 90 missiles, killing at least 30 civilians and wounding more than 160. Frustrated that Putin was snubbing his efforts to negotiate peace, Trump warned that the Russian leader was "playing with fire," and that continuing the war "will lead to the downfall of Russia."

The Kremlin claimed it would present its "peace memorandum" outlining its terms for a deal at an upcoming meeting with the Ukrainians. Trump said he'd determine in "about two weeks" whether Putin is serious about a deal before supporting punitive sanctions, including those in a Senate bill that would slap a 500% U.S. tariff on goods from countries that buy Russian oil and gas. Putin has thus far shown no interest in modifying his maximalist demands, including "demilitarizing" Ukraine and requiring it to be "neutral" rather than aligned with the West. In response to intensified Russian aerial attacks and troop movements, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz announced there would be no more range restrictions on Western-provided weaponry. A grateful Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky urged other world leaders to step up and help end Moscow's "sense of total impunity."

What the columnists said

Trump's "stamping his feet on social media" may be childishly ineffective, said Tom Nichols in The Atlantic, but it might signal that he finally comprehends Putin's true goals. His erstwhile pal's continuing slaughter of civilians "is now a liability for Trump," making him look foolish and powerless. Comically, he claimed last week that he'd "always said that [Putin] wants ALL of Ukraine"—which conveniently ignores that Trump has repeatedly blamed Zelensky and Joe Biden for somehow "starting" a war that began with Russia's invasion.

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

"Trump may be the only person in the world still surprised by how Putin is behaving," said The Wall Street Journal in an editorial, and he should now listen to the "genuine realists" in the Senate. Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham has 82 bipartisan co-sponsors on legislation that would severely punish buyers of Russian energy—Putin's "financial lifeline."

Trump has two options, said Stephen Collinson in CNN.com. He could start supporting Ukraine's fight for survival by resuming arms shipments, though "that would be embarrassing politically." Or he "could throw up his hands" and totally end U.S. involvement, letting Putin's "war of attrition" grind on for years. The only way to halt the war is with fierce "Western pressure," including both arms sales and increased sanctions, said Tamar Jacoby in The Bulwark. But despite his tough talk, Trump "has done nothing yet to punish or pressure the Kremlin," and it's unclear he ever will.