US President Donald Trump appeared particularly hesitant regarding Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s request for Tomahawk missiles. It should be noted that on Friday (10/17), the American president welcomed Zelensky for the third time since January at the White House. However, this time the Ukrainian president hoped not to leave empty-handed again, with Trump’s lukewarm stance representing a setback for the former, according to Politico. “It’s a very powerful weapon, but it’s also a very dangerous weapon. And that could mean major, you know, escalation. It could mean a lot of bad things could happen. Tomahawks are serious business,” Trump said during the working lunch in the Oval Office. Indeed, the American president appears to share the same concerns as his predecessor Joe Biden regarding missiles that could escalate the war in Ukraine.
Politico: Trump seeks new ways to pressure Russia
It’s noteworthy that Trump’s cautious stance toward Ukraine comes as he discusses new ways to pressure Russia, according to a Politico article. Beyond the discussion about Tomahawks, Trump announced earlier this week that he received a commitment from India to stop purchasing Russian oil, although India has not confirmed the president’s claim. Senate Republicans also stated Thursday that they plan to introduce legislation imposing new sanctions on Russia within the next 30 days. Meanwhile, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, during meetings with NATO counterparts in Europe this week, made his toughest statements yet about the war, promising that Russia will face harsh consequences.
“Trump admitted Putin might be ‘outsmarting’ him”:
Furthermore, just hours after the Trump-Zelensky meeting in Washington, SkyNews US correspondent Martha Kelner published an article titled “Trump admitted Putin might be ‘outsmarting’ him”. As she characteristically notes: “Putin initially managed to convince Trump to suspend the imposition of stricter sanctions on Russia, which were economically damaging. Now, it appears he played a role in convincing Trump to suspend sending Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine. A reporter asked the US president if Putin might be ‘outsmarting’ him. Trump admitted it was possible, but said he usually comes out pretty well from such situations. Time will tell.”
For his part, Jonathan Lemire of The Atlantic, in his article, characterizes Putin as a “master of manipulation”. The writer initially referenced Putin’s statement about the Nobel Peace Prize that Trump didn’t win and the American’s “thank you.” He then noted Putin’s initiative to call the American and propose a meeting, despite not much time having passed since the one in Alaska. “Trump immediately accepted the idea of a meeting in Budapest. And he backed away from the idea of supplying Tomahawks to Kyiv. Once again, Putin bought more time for his war,” Lemire wrote.
Trump – Putin: The Budapest meeting
Now, all eyes are focused on the new Trump-Putin meeting in Budapest and the stance the Russian will take, namely whether he will negotiate. Harry Nedelkou, senior director of Rasmussen Global, a research organization, speaking to the New York Times, mentioned among other things that Trump wants to avoid what happened in Alaska, where there was no result, as Moscow repeated its demands for extensive territorial concessions from Ukraine, something impossible for Kyiv. “Trump wants the Budapest meeting to be a substantive summit,” Nedelkou stated. “He wants the opposite of Alaska.”
