It was a banner day for Russian President Vladimir Putin, as both US President Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth undermined Ukraine's negotiating position in any potential peace agreement.
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One of the benefits of being a dictator is that you can afford to play the long game. Take Russia’s Vladimir Putin. Back in 2016, he made what was a modest investment in a hacking and disinformation campaign to get Donald Trump elected.
Now, nearly a decade later, that decision is paying off in a big way.
After NATO countries had stood together against Putin’s regime for years following his invasion of Ukraine, the Trump administration on Wednesday left little doubt that it is going to take a wrecking ball to the alliance.
First, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth undercut Ukraine’s bargaining position before peace negotiations even began.
During his first appearance in Europe as Pentagon chief, he took the possibility of granting Ukraine NATO membership off the table. In addition, Hegseth said it was not realistic that Crimea, which Russia annexed in 2014, would be returned to Ukraine.
That may be true, but stating it so unequivocally now ensures that neither can be used when all stakeholders get together to hammer out some kind of peace agreement.
Hegseth also stated that any peacekeepers eventually deployed to the country should be part of a non-NATO mission, which means that they would not be covered by the alliance’s Article 5, which decrees that an attack on one member country is an attack on all.
That clause is likely the main reason why Putin has not attacked smaller countries like the Baltic states.
Finally, Hegseth noted that Europe would have to provide the lion’s share of military and non-military aid to Kiev going forward.
Everything he said hurts Ukraine, which must now feel a greater urgency to try to negotiate some kind of deal before its defense collapses and Russia gains more territory.
Not to be outdone by Hegseth, Trump then announced that he had spoken with Putin at length and that the two are planning a series of in-person meetings.
“We agreed to work together, very closely, including visiting each other’s Nations,” Trump stated, adding that he wants to put an end to the conflict.
“Millions of people have died in a War that would not have happened if I were President, but it did happen, so it must end,” he added.
It’s important to note that “millions of people” have not died in the conflict. However, both sides have suffered heavy casualties and lost more than 100,000 soldiers each (with more Russians than Ukrainians dying).
Ironically, while Trump clearly intends to reduce the US’s role in the conflict, he also wants to be the one negotiating a peace with his pal Putin. His comments on Wednesday indicate that he sees Ukraine and the European Union as secondary players.
That does not bode well at all for Kiev.
For EU leaders, on the other hand, this should serve as a warning that Trump should be viewed as an adversary rather than an ally on this and other issues. Neither they nor Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will rest easy tonight.
It’s a different story for Putin, who scored one more victory Wednesday when the Senate confirmed Tulsi Gabbard, who frequently spouts Russian talking points, as the new director of national intelligence.
In his Navigating the Insanity columns, Klaus Marre provides the kind of hard-hitting, thought-provoking, and often humorous analysis you won’t find anywhere else.
