From Slate Magazine · Fred Kaplan · · 1m 10s
Putin Throws Trump Bone Laced With Poison
Putin offers Trump a Ukraine peace summit but it risks Ukraine's surrender.
In brief
Putin offers Trump a Ukraine peace summit but it risks Ukraine's surrender. Putin proposed a Trump-Xi summit to end the Ukraine war, but Trump's abandonment of Ukraine aid could force Ukraine's surrender. Originally reported by Slate Magazine.
Putin's bone offer
Putin proposed a tripartite summit with Trump and Xi to end the Russia-Ukraine war.
“the proposal of a tripartite summit, just putin, trump, and chinese president xi jinping, to plot an ending to the russia, ukraine war”
Trump's power fantasy
Trump idealizes absolute power and sees himself as a great leader among nations.
“he spoke in awe of north korean dictator kim jong-un: "he speaks and people sit up at attention. i want my people to do the same"”
Historical comparison
Trump compares himself to historical leaders like roosevelt and talleyrand at yalta.
“so a summit of the era’s three great men, putin, xi, and trump ! that’s the stuff of history”
Trump's weakness
Trump lacks power in the Ukraine conflict compared to Putin and Xi.
“trump is no roosevelt or talleyrand (nor, it should be noted, does either of his collaborators resemble churchill or metternich)”
Trump's no cards
Trump has no leverage in the Ukraine war after cutting aid and waiving sanctions.
“trump would enter such a game not merely outmatched but holding (to borrow one of his own metaphors) no cards”
Putin's war goal
Putin aims to eliminate Ukraine as a sovereign nation.
“putin has stated that the goal of his war is to eliminate ukraine as a sovereign nation”
Zelensky's warning
Zelensky warns Ukraine cannot win if Trump allies with Russia.
“zelensky recently admitted that if trump proceeds on this course, if the united states officially allies with russia in this war, ukraine cannot possibly win”
Trump's diesel deal
Trump agreed to a diesel fuel deal with Putin to lower gasoline prices.
“trump took that deal, in hopes that it would lower gasoline prices and thus boost the chance that the republican party retains its house and senate majorities in the upcoming midterm elections”
Trump's summit hesitation
Trump has not committed to attending the Putin-Xi summit.
“he said on monday that he’d be open to meeting with putin and xi about "denuclearization," but that evades whether he’d meet with them about ukraine”
Trump's dilemma
Trump must choose between recognition and Ukraine's surrender.
“we can hope, but, as the saying goes, hope is not a strategy, nor can it offer any insight into how trump might weigh his desperation for recognition as a powerful leader against the consequences of abandoning ukraine”
The short version
Putin proposed a Trump-Xi summit to end the Ukraine war, but Trump's abandonment of Ukraine aid could force Ukraine's surrender.
