Donald Trump has never been one for subtlety, and much to the chagrin of the isolationist and pro-Russia camp within MAGA, his lack of subtlety now includes what is undeniably a pro-Ukraine and anti-Russian position in the deplorable Russian war of aggression against Ukraine. While in Scotland with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Trump declared his disappointment with Russian President Vladimir Putin, and that he was going to impose a new deadline that would punish Russia with secondary sanctions and tariffs of “about 100%” within 10-12 days, rather than the 50-day deadline imposed on July 14.
Don’t get me wrong: This is a positive step from an administration that is dominated by many who would happily step back and cheer on Putin’s onslaught. Tucker Carlson — who somehow remains one of the most influential “conservative” figures on the right — drooled over Russian supermarkets while pretending to not understand exchange rates, and Trump’s Vice President, J.D. Vance, sparked the infamous Oval Office blow-up that delighted this particular crowd, asking a frantic Volodymyr Zelenskyy, “Have you said thank you once?” So the importance of Donald Trump steering in the opposite direction by threatening Russia must not be ignored.
But we also have to remain grounded in reality and understand that — no matter what we would like to believe — this war isn’t ending in a glorious Ukrainian victory without American boots on the ground: a red line that we should never cross.
Why? Because while Ukraine is an ally and Russia is an adversary (at least in the oversimplified binary world of geopolitics), there is nothing to gain and everything to lose from entering into a ground, air and sea war with a major nuclear power. American troops must never, under almost any circumstances, be mobilized on behalf of Ukraine.
But that leaves us with an ugly and yet honest truth: the war in Ukraine is a war of attrition, and Russia has the edge in bodies, bullets and brutal disregard for life. Ukraine’s resistance is brave, valiant and inspiring, but unless the United States or NATO is willing to actively enter the fight — and again, they absolutely should not — then the war ends in one of two ways: Russia runs out of men, or they get what they came for. There is no third option. And when in the history of Russian military action has Russia run out of men?
That leaves us stuck in the worst of both worlds, endlessly drip-feeding Ukraine just enough support to keep the bloodshed going, but not enough to tip the scales. We posture, we hold press conferences, we talk about “as long as it takes,” and the death toll keeps climbing. Civilians die, cities are leveled and no one in Washington seems capable of asking the most important question: What does winning actually look like?
This is where brutal clarity matters. Unless we are willing to escalate — which we clearly are not — then we are prolonging a war we have no actual plan to end. Instead, we need to explore every possible off-ramp that could possibly bring about an end to this war, which will doubtlessly include bitter pills that Ukraine will have to swallow. But it’s time to stop pretending that we’re one more weapons package away from a fairy-tale ending. War is hell, and unless we are willing to end it with force, we must end it through diplomacy. If we fail, all we are doing is dooming even more innocent people to their fate.
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Author: Ian Haworth
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