Key Points and Summary – The Trump administration’s approach to Russia is dangerously naive, as President Trump continues to believe he can negotiate an end to the Ukraine war with a bad-faith actor like Vladimir Putin.
-Despite Putin’s maximalist demands and escalating attacks on Ukrainian civilians, the White House continues to engage in phone calls that yield no progress.
America Is Making a Giant Mistake on Russia
July 4th is a good day to ask whether the Trump administration will ever declare independence of its illusions about Russia and its illegitimate president.
Like King George, Vladimir Putin is overbearing and arrogant toward the Americans, but unlike the British monarch, Russia is playing the American president for a fool.
And he’s doing so openly and directly.
Putin Wants to Destroy Ukraine
Putin and his minions have repeatedly stated that Russia will not agree to a ceasefire or peace in its genocidal war against Ukraine until Kyiv agrees to a permanent loss of Russian-occupied territory, abandons its hopes of joining the West, and transforms itself into an authoritarian vassal of Russia. And since Ukrainians cannot agree to such demands, Putin’s conditions for peace amount to his unwavering determination to continue with the war and genocide.
Putin has also put his money where his mouth is, vastly increasing the number of attacks on Ukrainian cities and civilians since Trump’s inauguration and his administration’s all-carrots-and-no-sticks approach to dealing with the Kremlin.
And yet, despite Russia’s continued commitment to annihilate Ukraine, the Trump administration continues to believe that Putin wants peace and is willing to negotiate in good faith and that phone calls will convince Russia’s bloodthirsty tyrant to end the war.
More Talk?
The latest such conversation took place on July 3, and apparently the US president agreed that it didn’t go too well, saying at a subsequent press conference: “We had a call. It was a pretty long call. We talked about a lot of things, including Iran and we also talked about, as you know, the war with Ukraine, and I’m not happy about that. I didn’t make any progress with them today at all.”
Does the last sentence mean that Trump has finally seen the light and realized that talking to Putin is a senseless undertaking or is it just another iteration of Trump’s occasional criticism of his friend Vladimir? One would like that to be the case were it not for the fact that the president’s comment was made at the same time that the Pentagon decided to suspend military assistance to Ukraine—a move that Russian propagandists cheerfully welcomed.
Does the Trump administration not understand that the US president’s unhappiness over his phone call with Putin, while welcome as a possible sign of disillusionment, does not compensate for his administration’s backhanded endorsement of Putin’s genocidal war?
Does the administration not understand that, as the military historian Phillips P. OBrien provocatively put it, “’Daddy’ Just Accelerated The Killing Of Ukrainians” and is thereby complicit in Putin’s crimes?
Perhaps it’s time for a declaration of independence?
About the Author: Dr. Alexander Motyl
Dr. Alexander Motyl is a professor of political science at Rutgers-Newark. A specialist on Ukraine, Russia, and the USSR, and on nationalism, revolutions, empires, and theory, he is the author of 10 books of nonfiction, including Pidsumky imperii (2009); Puti imperii (2004); Imperial Ends: The Decay, Collapse, and Revival of Empires (2001); Revolutions, Nations, Empires: Conceptual Limits and Theoretical Possibilities (1999); Dilemmas of Independence: Ukraine after Totalitarianism (1993); and The Turn to the Right: The Ideological Origins and Development of Ukrainian Nationalism, 1919–1929 (1980); the editor of 15 volumes, including The Encyclopedia of Nationalism (2000) and The Holodomor Reader (2012); and a contributor of dozens of articles to academic and policy journals, newspaper op-ed pages, and magazines. He also has a weekly blog, “Ukraine’s Orange Blues.”
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Jim
July 4, 2025 at 3:46 pm
I agree Putin’s conditions for a peace settlement amount to capitulation.
Putin has been consistent in stating Russian demands. These demands have been consistent since the Istanbul negotiations in late March, early April 2022… although, as more territory has been conquered, their territorial demands have increased to reflect their battlefield gains… Russia won’t give up territory under their control.
Frankly, even with no cut-off in certain weapons systems, Kiev would still be losing, but still fighting… the war isn’t over.
But to what end?
War supporters lament the cut-off of certain weapons systems and undoubtedly would be lamenting a hard cut-off in monies… wringing their hands in dismay.
But as this author demonstrates, war supporters are incapable grasping battlefield realities as Russia continues to advance, but this seems not to matter… they ignore reality that doesn’t suit their preferences.
Nothing matters to them, but the continuance of their preferred policy, inflicting a strategic defeat on Russia.
But… that’s not going to happen… get to know it.
Of course, war supporters will continue wringing their hands and saying, we can win… if we continue the policy and double down on more money and weapons.
This is what the die-hards tell each other in their various echo-chambers among themselves. But increasingly theirs is a lonely, pleading voice talking only to themselves.
Americans have moved on.
It’s clear they will keep repeating this mantra well after the fighting is over… even years later.
But it won’t change a thing… their talk is empty.
It was always empty talk, but they can’t face their policy’s failure.
There will be years of mumbling and grumbling, “We could have won… we could have won.”
It never had a chance… but they’ll never admit it… never.
Reality hits you like a brick in the face if you refuse to acknowledge it.
George
July 7, 2025 at 9:59 am
I like how the fools who haven’t won anything since WWII convinced everybody that Russia could be defeated from the get go and that this was a good idea.
Bigshitdoyle
July 5, 2025 at 9:31 am
Russia’s one and only one aim.
To put the big brakes on NATO’s expansionist aims.
NATO’s not just wanting to add members, it’s ultimate or top highest greatest priority most unavoidable aim is to destabilize and then balkanize Russia.
The reason is simple.
So simple, so very simple, a three-year-old kid can fathom it.
Once Russia is kaput and has gone fully to the dogs, time for US (master & controller of NATO) to set up all kinds of bases and military facilities for its military.
Heck, even a pheckin’ newly new-born baby boy can easily understand T-H-A-T !!! !!!!
Taco
July 5, 2025 at 12:32 pm
After trump defeated the Dems with a landslide win in Nov 2024, there was HUGE GREAT HOPE that at last somebody with immense power and influence could end the fighting in Ukraine scripted by Dems’ genocide joe Biden.
Alas, today’s already July 2025, and trump’s has now clearly shown he’s no better than Biden or Hussein Obama, both being bloody deep state puppets.
What’s so difficult about solving the dirty Ukraine fiasco hatched by genocide joe.
Just order zelenskyy to EXCHANGE LAND FOR PERMANENT PEACE, not today still wanting to push the idea of some forsaken dumbass 3-day, 10-day or 30-day dumbity stupidity-stupid ceasefires.
What’s so difficult about that.
WHAT THE PHECKING PHECK DIFFICULT ISSUE IS IT ABOUT EXCHANGING SOME LAND FOR LASTING PEACE.
An idea too sane for some ?
pagar
July 6, 2025 at 11:22 am
Russia wants to destroy ukraine. Yeah, Nothing else can be further from the truth except this.
Recall, in 2014, the nazists were greatly hellbent on eliminating all opposition.
They were determined to destroy all who dare to disagree with the virulent fascist regime in kyiv.
Proof – nytimes.com/2014/08/10/world/europe/ukraine.html
George
July 7, 2025 at 9:56 am
De-Nazification. That’s been the goal from day one and is in the SMO Document which you apparently have not read.
Lance Benson
July 7, 2025 at 11:21 am
Trolls to the right of us, trolls to the left of us, trolls in front of us volley and thunder.
The author is correct, and the trolls, are, well, just trolls regurgitating Russian talking points.
Swamplaw Yankee
July 7, 2025 at 12:09 pm
A real op-ed from a real Ukrainian. With decades of factual publishing. Very Good for this site! -30-
Swamplaw Yankee
July 7, 2025 at 12:46 pm
Lance Benson: such an appropriate analogy: useful to the average reader.
The return of a real Ukrainian to this op-ed site is so very needed. The consumption of site space by Putin’s sleeper cells is so blatant. Dzhimmm seems to be very well paid competitor for the op-ed spaces.
The peer reader needs to read the Christian Orr article in this same site space. A rare non-ethnic-Ukrainian correctly perceives that the reality out side the MAGA POTUS empire is actually real! How could that fact be. The inner beltway aquarium seems to dance to the MAGA POTUS elite love hypnotics of the orc Putin fascism.
Ukraine has fought the orc muscovite sex trade parasites for one thousand years. Today, Komrade Dzhimmm is “complicit” is the support given to the 2025 manifestation of the ancient genetic need of orc muscovite sex-traders to human traffic little Ukrainian children.
30
Swamplaw Yankee
July 7, 2025 at 10:15 pm
The reality of an op-ed from a genuine Ukrainian seems to be ignored by the typical author to this site. The Inner Beltway aquarium minds seem to be quite happy to know more about Ukraine that genuine Ukrainians. Sounds like Tibet in the fifties and Han China in the forties. The Yankee just knew exactly how to not assist any Democracy out there.
Motyl, a real card carrying Yankee, has an op-ed that needs re-reading. Especially his parting paragraph about being complicit. Is any of the other authors even worried about their pro-sex trade Putin support? Like Lance somewhat stated: Trolls for peasant russian “Lolita” child trafficking are still 100% pro-human tafficking.
The “complicit” ruskie needs to be barred at the USA border more stringently than any German NAZI ever was. Starting right now. Can MAGA POTUS Trump get over his love for the ruskie sex traders to even moth that ban. -30-
Jim
July 8, 2025 at 12:50 pm
How come when I read some of these comments it sounds like a fire eating Banderite?
Well, Ukraine before 2014 was neutral as per their constitutional & foundational documents as were signed in 1996. So there was 18 years as a neutral nation, which at the time, all parties, the United States, Russia, and Ukraine, itself, wanted incorporated in the documents.
And, it worked (with some bumps & grinds) up until 2014 when a bloody, violent overthrow of the democratically elected president was engineered in part with support from the United States.
What happened after that bloody coup?
Anything good?
Or just a lousy police-state grinding Ukraine into the dust… with its obsessive compulsion to hold on at all costs… no matter what happens to the Ukrainian People… who are suffering mightily.
Talk about blowback.
Sue for peace now and retain roughly 80% of Ukraine.
Go back to being a neutral nation and have good relations with all neighbors and give up the police-state that has brought such ruin to Ukraine.
The coup was brought in by blood & violence. It’s end will be in blood & sorrow if it doesn’t sue for peace.