Editorial: Putin blocks Trump's peacemaking — Another blown deadline shows Ukraine truce is not easy
But this is Putin's war and Putin has not achieved his war aims, namely to conquer Kyiv.
Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff met with Putin at the Kremlin this week and now there are plans that Trump will sit down with Putin and Zelenskyy soon.
We hope that Trump, a salesman for more than half a century, can put on the charisma and win over Vlad, but the ex-KGB lieutenant colonel is probably immune to the Donald's charms.
Having been back in the White House for six months now, Trump must finally be realizing that he can't end this war 'in 24 hours,' as he boasted when he was out of office.
Putin will respond only to military defeats and economic pressure. The Ukrainians will bloody him on the battlefield and the U.S. and our allies must keep on the sanctions to blunt Putin's power and his vision of an imperial Russia retaking its place in the firmament of global powers.
Putin's withdrawal and ending this war will not be pleasant for him. But his failure to quickly capture Kyiv following the February 2022 invasion set the stage for the grinding conflict that is draining both Russia and Ukraine of blood and treasure.
In an ideal world, Putin's recalcitrance to end his folly will at least finally convince Trump that there is not and was never going to be a quick and easy solution that he could be seen to personally mediate in his apparent quest to get a Nobel peace prize.
We hope that it's become clear to Trump that the only reason any negotiations are even happening as opposed to a Putin puppet already calling the shots in Ukraine is that the Ukrainian forces have continued to receive the support of the international community, including necessary arms replenishment and supplies from the United States.
Despite his missteps and confusion, Trump is right about one thing: the only way out of this mess is dialogue until the sides can reach a resolution, which must happen from a position of strength for Ukraine.
A final deal rests on having each side feel like it can claim some measure of victory, which may entail some concessions to Russia, although there should be some clear nonnegotiables. Among those, the most important is the crux of this entire mess in the first place: Ukraine's territorial integrity, which must be preserved at least to the borders that existed as of the time of the invasion. Beyond being moral, this is for practical reasons.
As much as Putin has lost in this campaign — military capability, economic strength and hundreds of thousands of lives — he may well consider it a template worth repeating if he ultimately gets the chunk of territory he so desperately desires.
For the sake of Europe's — and our — continued security, it must be made crystal clear to Putin that his objectives of territorial expansion have failed absolutely. Perhaps this debacle might also temper some of Trump's own stated territorial ambitions; the age of military annexations is over, for good reason.
_____
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
2 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Trump's order to deploy troops in DC is his latest use of the National Guard in cities
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is bringing in 800 National Guard members to help law enforcement fight crime in Washington, but just 100 to 200 of the troops will be on the city's streets at any given time, the Army said. Trump's directive on Monday for Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to activate the National Guard is just the latest example of him sending the Guard into cities to support immigration enforcement or fight crime over the objection of local and state officials. How the National Guard deployment in DC will work According to the Army, Guard troops will be deployed under Title 32, or 'federal-state status' authority. That means the troops can conduct law enforcement activities on the streets of the nation's capital — though, at the moment, that doesn't appear to be the plan. 'Their duties will include an array of tasks from administrative, logistics and physical presence in support of law enforcement,' according to a statement from the Army, to which the District of Columbia National Guard directed all questions. About 500 federal law enforcement officers are being assigned to patrols in Washington, including from the FBI; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; Drug Enforcement Administration; Immigration and Customs Enforcement; and the Marshals Service. Hegseth told reporters that Guard members will be 'flowing into the streets of Washington in the coming week.' He also said the Pentagon was 'prepared to bring in other National Guard units — other specialized units,' though he didn't offer any further details. The timeline for the troop deployment also is vaguely defined. According to Trump's directive, National Guard troops will remain deployed until the president determines 'that conditions of law and order have been restored.' Besides the 800 Guard members, Trump said 'we will bring in the military if it's needed' — seemingly referring to active duty troops in addition to the Guard — but added that 'I don't think we'll need it.' Trump recently sent Guard troops and Marines to Los Angeles The deployment of troops to Washington comes after the Pentagon has pulled out the vast majority of the roughly 4,000 National Guard troops and 700 active duty Marines that Trump sent to Los Angeles in late June. Trump argued that the deployment was necessary after his administration's immigration crackdown led to protests throughout the city. Troops were largely tasked with protecting federal buildings and guarding immigration agents as they conducted raids. Hegseth compared plans to send troops into the nation's capital to their deployment to the U.S.-Mexico border and to Los Angeles. 'We will work alongside all D.C. police and federal law enforcement,' Hegseth said. However, California's governor and city officials argued that the LA deployment was unnecessary and went to court to try to fight it. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass told reporters that the National Guard's primary mission had been to guard two buildings that 'frankly didn't need to be guarded.' In addition, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, also a Democrat, has questioned the effectiveness of using the Guard to enforce city laws. 'I just think that's not the most efficient use of our Guard,' she said Sunday on MSNBC's 'The Weekend.' Trump deployed the Guard to Washington in his first term This is also not the first time Trump unilaterally has chosen to use federal forces in the U.S. capital. In 2020, during the protests over the police killing of George Floyd, Trump deployed the National Guard and federal law enforcement to the city, at one point using them to forcibly clear peaceful protesters from a square near the White House so he could stage a photo op. It became a controversial moment in his first administration in part because Gen. Mark Milley, who was then chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, appeared alongside Trump. Some saw Milley's presence as the military's endorsement of using troops against U.S. citizens. Milley later apologized.
New York Post
3 minutes ago
- New York Post
Trump extends China tariff deadline for 90 days just hours before truce was set to expire: official
WASHINGTON — U.S. President Donald Trump has signed an executive order extending a tariff truce with China by another 90 days, a White House official said on Monday with only hours to go before U.S. tariffs on Chinese goods were due to snap back to triple-digit rates. The order followed a noncommittal answer by Trump to reporters as to whether he would extend the lower tariff rates a day after he urged Beijing to quadruple its purchases of U.S. soybeans. A tariff truce between Beijing and Washington was set to expire on Tuesday at 00:01 ET (04:01 GMT). Advertisement 3 Donald Trump signed an executive order extending a tariff truce with China Monday, according to a White House official. REUTERS The order prevents U.S. tariffs on Chinese goods from shooting up to 145%, with Chinese tariffs on U.S. goods set to hit 125%, rates that would have resulted in a virtual trade embargo. 'We'll see what happens,' Trump told a press conference, when asked how he planned to extend the deadline. 'They've been dealing quite nicely. The relationship is very good with President Xi (Jinping) and myself.' Advertisement Imports from China are currently subject to 30% tariffs, including a 10% base rate and 20% in fentanyl-related tariffs imposed by Washington in February and March. China had matched the de-escalation, lowering its rate on U.S. imports to 10%. The two sides in May announced a truce in their trade dispute after talks in Geneva, Switzerland, agreeing to a 90-day period to allow further talks. They met again in Stockholm, Sweden in late July, but did not announce an agreement to further extend the deadline. 3 A container ship at a port in Lianyungang, China's eastern Jiangsu province on August 7, 2025. AFP via Getty Images Kelly Ann Shaw, a senior White House trade official during Trump's first term and now with Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld, said she expected Trump to extend the 90-day 'tariff détente' for another 90 days later on Monday. Advertisement 'It wouldn't be a Trump-style negotiation if it didn't go right down to the wire,' she said, adding Trump could also announce progress in other aspects of the economic relationship as a backdrop for granting the extension. 'The whole reason for the 90-day pause in the first place was to lay the groundwork for broader negotiations and there's been a lot of noise about everything from soybeans to export controls to excess capacity over the weekend,' she said. 3 The president said his relationship is 'very good with President Xi (Jinping).' Getty Images Ryan Majerus, a former U.S. trade official now with the King & Spalding law firm, welcomed the news. 'This will undoubtedly lower anxiety on both sides as talks continue, and as the U.S. and China work toward a framework deal in the fall. I'm certain investment commitments will factor into any potential deal, and the extension gives them more time to try and work through some of the longstanding trade concerns,' he said. Advertisement The White House declined to comment beyond Trump's remarks. The Treasury Department and U.S. Trade Representative's Office did not respond to requests for comment. U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has said Washington has the makings of a deal with China and he was 'optimistic' about the path forward. Trump pushed for additional concessions on Sunday, urging China to quadruple its soybean purchases, although analysts questioned the feasibility of any such deal. Trump did not repeat the demand on Monday. But Washington has also been pressing Beijing to stop buying Russian oil, with Trump threatening to impose secondary tariffs on China.
New York Post
3 minutes ago
- New York Post
Trump defends taking 15% cut of Nvidia, AMD chip sales to China
President Donald Trump defended his controversial deal requiring Nvidia and AMD to fork over 15% of their China sales revenue to the US government to skirt export controls — insisting the computer chips involved are outdated technology. 'No, this is an old chip that China already has,' Trump said Monday, referring to Nvidia's H20 processor, adding that 'China already has it in a different form, different name, but they have it.' The president emphasized that America's most advanced chips remain off-limits to China, describing Nvidia's newest Blackwell processor as 'super, super advanced' technology that 'nobody has' and won't have 'for five years.' 4 President Donald Trump defended his controversial deal requiring Nvidia and AMD to share 15% of their China sales revenue with the US government. AP The two tech companies agreed to the deal under an arrangement to obtain export licenses for their semiconductors. Trump on Monday painted himself as a tough negotiator who extracted payment for access to the Chinese market while protecting America's technological edge. He described his negotiations with Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang as a back-and-forth over percentages. Trump initially wanted 20% of the sales money, but Huang talked him down to 15%, according to the president. 'And he said, 'Will you make it 15?' So we negotiated a little deal,' Trump recounted. The president repeatedly stressed that the H20 chips are essentially obsolete. 4 Trump initially wanted 20% of the sales money, but Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang (pictured) talked him down to 15%, according to the president. AFP via Getty Images 'It's one of those things. But it still has a market,' he explained, suggesting China could easily get similar technology elsewhere, including from their own company Huawei. Its' Blackwell chip, meanwhile, delivers two-to-four times the performance of previous generations of graphics processing units (GPUs) with over 208 billion transistors and cutting-edge AI capabilities. The US had previously blocked companies from selling certain chips to China, worried that advanced technology could help China compete with America in areas like artificial intelligence. 4 Nvidia's logo is seen displayed on the company's Blackwell GPU chip — an advanced processor that won't be sold to China, according to Trump. Bloomberg via Getty Images Trump was adamant about keeping the best technology for America. Regarding the advanced Blackwell chip, he said, 'I wouldn't make a deal with that, although it's possible I'd make a deal … 30% to 50% off of it.' He compared the deal with Nvidia and AMD over its MI308 chips to how America sells fighter jets to other countries but keeps the best features for itself. 'We will sometimes sell fighter jets to a country and we'll give them 20% less than we have,' he explained. AMD's stock price jumped more than 2% Monday, while Nvidia shares climbed modestly. Investors figure that keeping 85% of the money from China sales beats not making any money, which is what these companies were looking at. 4 AMD, another chipmaker, will also share proceeds of its sales to China with the US government. REUTERS Trump framed the deal as putting America first, insisting the money goes to the country, not him personally. 'When I say I want 20 (percent), I want for the country. I only care about the country. I don't care about myself,' he said, defending against any suggestion of personal benefit. China isn't thrilled about the arrangement. Their state-run newspaper called out America for using 'economic leverage' after originally claiming the export bans were about security. Meanwhile, Chinese officials have been questioning whether American chips might have secret 'backdoors' that could let someone spy on them – accusations Nvidia firmly denies. 'We follow rules the US government sets for our participation in worldwide markets,' an Nvidia spokesperson told The Post. 'While we haven't shipped H20 to China for months, we hope export control rules will let America compete in China and worldwide.' The company warned that 'America cannot repeat 5G and lose telecommunication leadership.' 'America's AI tech stack can be the world's standard if we race,' the spokesperson added. The Post has sought comment from AMD and the Chinese government.
