Two weeks ago, we witnessed history: the first televised presidential temper tantrum. Was it actually a temper tantrum, egged on by his hype man VP, or did he think he was employing an expert negotiating strategy? Regardless of whether the president intended to lose control of his emotions in the Oval Office (a good time to remember that we’re constantly told that women would be too emotional to lead, by the way), his infantile display does nothing to progress us down the path of peace. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky handing over his nation’s mineral rights also doesn’t move us closer to peace.
Peace at any means necessary cannot be the end goal of the United States. Although when listening to the president’s rhetoric, he is willing to sacrifice Ukrainian sovereignty for the mirage of peace. Like Neville Chamberlain before him, he wants to be known as a “peacemaker” regardless of what he has to give up for “peace.”
If the United States will not defend democracy abroad, then Europe must take up the mantle. The silver lining in the debacle is that Trump may have encouraged Europe to do just that. With British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron taking the lead, they quickly created a “coalition of the willing” to help Ukraine negotiate an end to the war that upholds their sovereignty. Now, who is willing remains to be seen, but it’s a promising development.
Despite attempts by some to rewrite history, Russian President Vladimir Putin is the aggressor in this war, which started when he sent Russian troops into Ukraine in a brazen attempt to seize territory. Ukraine, to its credit, has demonstrated tremendous determination and tenacity throughout the war. Despite being outmanned and outgunned, it has drawn the war to a stalemate with the help of the United States and other Western powers. The first step towards peace must be a cease-fire. But what does that look like?
Macron has said that France won’t send peacekeeping troops until a cease-fire has been in place for at least a month. And any meaningful deal is going to have to include the United States. And President Trump was right about one thing during his berating of Zelensky: Ukraine is not in a position to negotiate.
Europe’s recent offer of financial aid, the United Kingdom has lent Ukraine almost $3 billion and offered the potential for peacekeeping soldiers, should encourage the United States to engage with Ukraine as well. Trump fancies himself an expert dealmaker. It’s time to make a deal.
The United States has its own motivations to end the Ukraine war. Our focus on Europe distracts us from our other rivals, some would say adversaries, like China. Antagonizing our European allies doesn’t help us end the war nor will it help as we presumably attempt to build a coalition of free democracies to counter the growing alliance between the world’s autocracies. We will need Europe’s help to deal with China, Iran, North Korea, and Russia.
He wouldn’t admit it, but Putin needs a deal too. His war in Ukraine has cost Russia around 700,000 soldiers and has decimated the Russian economy. In addition to the domestic costs, his war, intended to dissuade potential NATO members from joining, had the exact opposite effect. Sweden and Finland were not members of the alliance prior to the war, now they are. That means that Russia now shares an 830-mile border with a NATO member. Would they have joined if not for his incursion into Ukraine? Probably not.
The problem is, as Zelensky tried to explain to Trump and Vice President JD Vance, that Putin has violated every deal he’s ever made, including a prisoner exchange with Ukraine. Previous deals to end the fighting in parts of eastern Ukraine in 2014 and 2015 were also broken. So the question isn’t just what will the deal look like, it is also how will we enforce the deal to ensure that it is upheld? Enforcement will be the key to a successful cease-fire, which is necessary for a longer-lasting peace deal. If Europe is willing to help, that makes it even better.
Zelensky addressed his nation a couple of days after the Oval Office blow up and offered the gratitude that Vance demanded.
“We are grateful for all the support we have received from the United States. There hasn’t been a single day when we haven’t felt grateful.”
Trump should take the olive branch. Incivility and reality show antics do not serve the cause of peace. It’s time for diplomacy and an end to the war that upholds Ukraine’s dignity and sovereignty.