US President Donald Trump is prolonging the war in Ukraine, not ending it, as he promised during his election campaign, writes The Telegraph.
Trump had said that he would stop the war “in 24 hours” if elected president. Months after taking office, however, there is no prospect of Vladimir Putin's military aggression against Ukraine stopping. One of the reasons is that the Trump administration is making mistake after mistake, giving too many trump cards into Putin's hands.
Only days ago, the White House's special envoy Steve Witkoff was sent to Russia to meet with Putin. The meeting, however, ended without any particular results, the publication points out.
The White House had intended to sign a ceasefire agreement in Ukraine by Easter. For Trump, a vain man with a weakness for pomp and ceremony, the symbolism of such an achievement would be very good indeed - and perhaps he hoped it would bring him a little closer to his dream of a Nobel Peace Prize. Trump failed to make his dream a reality.
The American leader is no closer to forcing Putin to the negotiating table. Trump is starting to get annoyed with Russia for sabotaging the talks. It is also becoming increasingly clear that Trump seems more concerned with making a deal with Putin than with what the specific content of that deal might be or what the consequences might be for Ukraine.
Keith Kellogg has said that Ukraine could be partitioned under a peace agreement “almost like Berlin after World War II.” Such a plan by Washington to divide the country would implicitly mean accepting Putin’s demand for recognition of Russian sovereignty over the occupied lands.
Trump could impose sanctions on Russia’s shadow navy if Putin continues to sabotage peace talks, but there is currently no indication that the US will increase pressure on the Kremlin.