President Trump is expressing optimism about a ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip, despite ongoing challenges in achieving lasting peace between Israelis and Palestinians.
In light of developments in the Middle East, Trump is now shifting his focus to the war in Ukraine—a conflict he pledged to resolve on his first day in office. However, even after nearly a year post-election, that resolve remains strong.
This Friday, President Trump will meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy at the White House, marking a significant shift from their earlier meeting in February, which was quite tense.
Back then, Trump and Vice President Vance criticized Zelenskiy, accusing him of ingratitude for the generous U.S. aid provided to Ukraine.
In recent times, Trump’s frustrations appear to be aimed more at Russian President Vladimir Putin, who seems unmoved by Trump’s calls for peace.
The conflict began with Russia’s invasion in February 2022, and Trump’s dissatisfaction has grown over Putin’s seemingly empty assurances paired with escalating military actions.
Trump remarked, “We have a lot of nonsense coming from President Putin. He’s always so friendly, but it turns out it’s useless.”
His latest strategy to pressure the Russian leader includes threatening to supply Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine, which have a range of about 1,500 miles—significantly more than the distance from Kyiv to Moscow.
Trump hinted at this to reporters on his Middle East trip, saying, “If this war doesn’t get wrapped up, we’re going to send them Tomahawks.”
He later questioned, “Do the Russians really want those Tomahawks coming their way? I doubt it.”
While no deal is finalized regarding the missiles, it’s known that the Ukrainian delegation pushing the issue arrived in the U.S. ahead of Zelenskiy.
This threat, meanwhile, has angered Moscow. Officials close to Putin have consistently warned about the risks of Western involvement escalating the conflict.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov described the situation as increasingly dangerous, highlighting concerns about the potential deployment of Tomahawks to Ukraine.
He questioned, “What should the Russian Federation think? How should they respond?”
The situation is a stark contrast to about seven months ago when the Trump administration decided to “pause and review” aid to Ukraine following the controversy surrounding Trump, Zelenskiy, and Vance.
A notable shift occurred in April when the U.S. and Ukraine finalized a mineral deal, which Trump saw as a means for Eastern European nations to make up for U.S. aid.
European support for Ukraine has ramped up recently, aiming to compensate for the slowdown in direct U.S. assistance. This July agreement also set the stage for NATO allies to fund U.S. weapons that are ultimately used by the Ukrainians.
Experts believe a significant turning point was Trump’s high-profile summit with Putin in Alaska, which left him disappointed due to a lack of tangible outcomes.
Though their August meeting received substantial media coverage, Putin appeared to come out on top, marked by a grand welcome and Trump inviting him into his presidential limousine.
Yet, little meaningful progress resulted from their discussions. Efforts at the White House to advance peace initiatives have stalled, despite a more productive meeting for Zelenskiy earlier this month. Speculations about a three-way meeting between Trump, Putin, and Zelenskiy have fizzled out.
Some of Trump’s critics feel that Putin has overstepped, creating greater distance between himself and the U.S. president.
Joel Rubin, a former deputy assistant secretary of state, remarked, “President Putin misjudged things. That Alaska summit changed Trump. It was personal for him, and it didn’t go as planned.”
Rubin also suggests that Trump is moving away from the isolationist stance that characterized his campaign and the early months of his second term.
He’s not only pointing to the recent Gaza ceasefire but also to Trump’s approval of a U.S. strike on Iran last June.
Additionally, there have been controversial U.S. military actions, such as repeated assaults on vessels near Venezuela, which the government has often attributed to drug trafficking without substantial evidence. New military measures were announced by Trump on Tuesday.
While Rubin doesn’t support the attack on the vessel, he acknowledged that the overall context implies, “Putin can no longer assume that Trump will retreat into isolationism.”
Whether these changes will yield a significant shift in Trump’s approach to the Ukraine conflict remains unclear.
However, buoyed by recent successes in the Middle East, Trump might be prepared to take another risk with Zelenskiy this week.
