Trump has U-turned after eventually understanding what the world knew three years ago
SEATTLE – It was just five months ago that Donald Trump humiliated Ukraine’s leader in front of the world, alleging he had no “cards” when it came to the defence of his own country.
How drastically things have changed.
Having falsely labelled Ukraine’s President, Volodymyr Zelensky, a “dictator”, wrongly claimed he was responsible for the three-year war, and appearing to have more sympathy with Vladimir Putin, Trump has effectively made a 180-degree turn.
Were he the sort of person who ate his words or admitted he had been wrong, he’d be doing that. But, as we know, he is not that type of individual.
What Trump did announce on Monday, nevertheless, was nothing less than remarkable, especially taking into account that Oval Office meeting in February when the US President and his attack-dog-in-chief, Vice President JD Vance, accused Zelensky of dragging his feet over the terms of a ceasefire with Russia, and in particular his refusal to agree to give up territory ahead of peace talks.
“You’re gambling with World War III, and what you’re doing is very disrespectful to the country, this country that’s backed you far more than a lot of people say they should have,” said Trump. He added: “You’re not in a good position. You don’t have the cards right now.”
But at the White House on Monday, Trump confirmed the US would be providing Ukraine with the weapons it was seeking, including Patriot air defence missiles that are deemed crucial.
He said Nato member countries would buy “billions and billions” of dollars of US military equipment to be transferred to Ukraine.
“We make the best equipment, the best missiles, the best of everything,” Trump said, seated with Nato Secretary-General Mark Rutte. “We’ve made a deal today where we are going to be sending them weapons and they’re going to be paying for them.”
Zelensky expressed his gratitude to Trump after the announcement “for his readiness to support the protection” of Ukrainian lives.
Trump also announced he would be imposing “very severe tariffs” on Russia if there were no peace deal within Ukraine in 50 days. He also threatened strict sanctions on anyone buying or exporting Russian oil unless Moscow made such an agreement.
“I use trade for a lot of things,” Trump said. “But it’s great for settling wars.”
Critics of Trump will point out that the 50-day deadline he is giving Moscow is another example of the US President refusing to press hard on the Kremlin. His second term has been full of fierce talk about fixed deadlines on tariffs and measures he will not walk back, only to see him do just that.
Although details of exactly which weapons the US would sell to Nato for Ukraine’s use – whether offensive or defensive – are still unclear, Trump is framing this as a major deal – and appears a serious shift in policy.
Even if the weapons sent to Ukraine – as under the previous US President Joe Biden – are defensive rather than designed to launch attacks inside Russia, it was an announcement that would have been cheered in Ukraine.
Several factors appear to account for Trump’s reversal.
Primarily, Trump has become increasingly frustrated with his Russian counterpart, an individual he claimed he had a close relationship with, and someone he repeatedly claimed would help him broker a ceasefire within 24 hours of taking office.
Instead, Putin has shown himself unwilling to get involved in peace talks in a serious way and, instead, has intensified his bombing of Ukrainian cities, only hours after what Trump had believed were constructive talks.
“I am very disappointed with President Putin, I thought he was somebody that meant what he said,” Trump said over the weekend. “He’ll talk so beautifully, and then he’ll bomb people at night. We don’t like that.”
He added: “It just keeps going on and on and on. Every night, people are dying.”
A second factor is that Zelensky has been coached on how to better deal with Trump, heaping praise on him at every occasion and reminding him how grateful his country is.
A third factor appears to be Nato leader, Rutte, who has also learned how to lead the 32-nation organisation, while all the time making sure Trump feels he is primus inter pares, or first among equals.
In one display of his “Trump whisperer” skills, Rutte described Trump as “Daddy” when the US President stepped in to enforce an agreed ceasefire between Iran and Israel.
He also praised Trump ahead of the Nato summit in June, where members bent to long-called-for demands from the US for European nations to spend more of their GDP on defence.
“It was not easy, but we’ve got them all signed onto 5 per cent! Donald, you have driven us to a really, really important moment for America and Europe, and the world,” Rutte fawned. “You will achieve something NO American president in decades could get done.”
