#trump-diplomacy

#trump-diplomacy

Vladimir Putin is systematically ruining his country. His war of choice in Ukraine is an economic, financial, geopolitical and human calamity for Russia that worsens by the day. For his own murky reasons, Donald Trump, another national menace, offered him a lifeline last week. Yet Putin spurned it. These two fools deserve each other. On the table in Moscow was a peace deal that, broadly speaking, rewarded Russia's aggression by handing over large chunks of Ukrainian land, compromised Kyiv's independence

On this episode of The David Frum Show, The Atlantic 's David Frum opens with his thoughts on the recent gifts given to President Donald Trump by the Swiss government. He argues that the incident is yet another example of Trump's favor being won through personal gifts and another sign of how his administration has forced the United States to abandon its traditional leadership role in the global order, reshaping American foreign policy into something closer to that of an extractive predator state.

The ceasefire is to take effect within 24 hours of the vote, Israeli government spokeswoman Shosh Bedrosian said. During that window, Israeli forces are to withdraw from parts of Gaza - including most urban population centers - while retaining control of about half of the enclave. Humanitarian aid is to be surged to a population that has suffered hunger and deprivation.

President Donald Trump still seems surprised that his gambit did not pay off with peace in Ukraine. He's let me down, Trump said this week. He really let me down. There has been no more progress in the Middle East, where Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is beginning a new offensive in Gaza City and lashing out across the region. They have to be very, very careful, Trump said after Israel targeted Hamas inside Qatar, a U.S. ally that has been hosting diplomatic negotiations.

Sucking up to Donald Trump never works for long. Narendra Modi is the latest world leader to learn this lesson the hard way. Wooing his true friend in the White House, India's authoritarian prime minister thought he'd conquered Trump's inconstant heart. The two men hit peak pals in 2019, holding hands at a Howdy Modi rally in Texas. But it's all gone pear-shaped thanks to Trump's tariffs and dalliance with Pakistan.

"I think I'll know. I think I'll know the attitude of Russia, and, frankly, of Ukraine. It takes two," Trump said when asked what he would do at the end of a two-week timeframe for assessing the state of peace talks. "Then I'm going to make a decision as to what we do and it's going to be a very important decision," he said. "Whether it's massive sanctions, massive tariffs, or both. Or I'll do nothing and say, 'This is your war.'"

In his recent burst of diplomacy, Trump has repeatedly stressed that Ukraine will not join NATO and that no U.S. troops will be on the ground in Ukraine.