Former president Trump's surprising Ukraine strategy that nobody expected
Trumpʼs approach to the Russia-Ukraine conflict shows unexpected depth based on his previous foreign-policy choices. His past actions with Iran and North Korea hint at a more calculated strategy than many think
Last year Donald Trump won the election with a bold promise to end the Russia-Ukraine war‚ which made many people nervous about his plans. However his track-record shows more strategic thinking than most expect
The contrast between Joe Bidenʼs careful approach and Trumps deal-making style is clear: Biden gave Ukraine just enough to stay alive but not win (while putting many limits on weapon-use and making aid delivery super-slow). Many Ukrainians dont like this half-way help – especially when Russia gets support from North-Korea and Iran
Volodymyr Zelensky and Trump had a meeting last fall that went better than expected: they both talked about making a fair deal. Their phone chat right after the election was good too; which shows Trump isnt rushing into quick fixes
Looking at Trumpʼs first term gives us hints about his style:
- He took 16 months to leave Iran deal
- Made careful moves with North-Korea
- Used energy policy as a tool
- Built strong ties with Gulf states
His Iran deal exit shows how he works – Trump did a full review before making big moves. Now Russiaʼs friends list includes Iran China and North-Korea which might make Trump less friendly to Vladimir Putin than before
The money part is interesting too: Trump could hit Russiaʼs wallet by making oil prices drop (thanks to his oil-friendly rules and connections with Middle-East leaders). Congress still backs Ukraine aid; most US voters want to help Ukraine – and with mid-terms coming up in 2 years nobody wants a mess-up
Smart people notice that Russian politicians arent as happy about Trumps win this time. Maybe they know something: dealing with Trump might not be as easy as they thought
