After weeks of strong-man posturing, Trump (predictably) reversed course to grovel once more at the feet of the 21st century’s worst mass murderer.
Marco Levytsky, Editorial Writer.
After repeatedly threatening Moscow with “very severe” sanctions and tariffs, primarily targeting Russian oil exports, should it not commit to a ceasefire in its genocidal war against Ukraine in advance of his self-imposed deadline of August 8, U.S. President Donald (TACO) Trump chickened out in spectacular fashion.
Instead of bringing about a ceasefire or imposing crushing sanctions on Russia for missing the deadline he set for a cessation in the fighting, Trump abased himself yet again by acceding to Putin’s proposal for a one-on-one summit to discuss Putin’s proposals for ending the war.
In the meantime, fighting continues along a roughly 1,000-kilometre front, with heavy battles presently concentrated in Donetsk’s Pokrovsk area and ongoing Russian offensives in Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions.
In addition, Moscow brazenly continues its relentless bombing campaign designed to murder and terrorize the civilian population of Ukraine and destroy their homes and infrastructure. On August 8 Russia launched missile and air strikes across various regions of Ukraine. On August 9, the day after Trump’s farcical deadline, Russia carried out two missile strikes and 74 air raids, deploying 122 guided aerial bombs over 5,000 kamikaze drones and 6,361 artillery strikes. In a word, while brazenly thumbing his nose at Trump’s threats, Putin has simply picked up where he left off in July, blanketing Ukraine with a never-ending stream of aerial bombing strikes designed to pound the country into submission.
And what “very severe” sanctions and tariffs did Trump impose? None whatsoever. Not even the 100% tariffs promised against countries that continued buying Russian oil and gas – a percentage that was reduced by 400% from what 81 U.S. Senators have called for. So, a rapacious bully who imposes stiff tariffs on virtually every democratic country – especially those who disagree with his unprincipled policies – continues to grovel at the feet of the biggest mass murderer of the 21st Century.
Unbelievably, his reward for such murderous conduct was to be granted a summit with Trump, now set for August 15 in Alaska, to discuss a possible end to the war. It should be noted that the United States is not a member of the International Criminal Court (ICC) and has never ratified the Rome Statute, the treaty that established the court. Therefore, it is not legally obligated to arrest Putin who has been charged with war crimes, most notably the illegal abduction of Ukrainian children who are subsequently subjected to intense Russification with a view to eliminating every vestige of their Ukrainian identity.
As well, this meeting will take place without any input from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Russia has reportedly proposed a ceasefire that would require Ukraine to cede control of Crimea and the Donbas region, significantly reduce the size of its military, and commit to neutrality outside NATO. Russia also wants full control over annexed territories before agreeing to any ceasefire. Zelenskyy has firmly rejected any deal involving territorial concessions, stating that Ukraine “will not give their land to the occupier” and that any peace deal excluding Ukraine is a “dead decision”.
Trump has positioned himself firmly in Putin’s court suggesting that a ceasefire might involve “swapping of territories”. This idea has been met with strong resistance from Kyiv, while European allies fear a deal that legitimizes Russia’s occupation could prolong the conflict.
Citing an unnamed source, the Washington Post reported that Europe was extremely worried when it learned that Trump intended to personally meet with Putin. As the source said: “For all the bluster, Trump has not put a single iota of pressure on Putin – yet. Zero, zip.”
There are several reasons why Trump’s proposal is completely unacceptable.
First, it rewards aggression. Why should America reward Putin for his war of genocidal aggression? If Russia gets away with territorial gains, it opens the door to similar actions by other rogue nations. Russia itself may decide to invade a NATO member, indeed, judging by Putin’s past public statements, that is indeed what will be done. China may decide the time is ripe to invade Taiwan. Who knows what North Korea, Iran or other rogue states may be encouraged to do.
Second, it violates international law as enshrined in Article 2(4) of the UN Charter, which prohibits the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state. Russia is bound by that Charter as the ostensible successor state to the USSR and as a member of the Security Council. Having assumed the role of the Soviet Union in the U.N. it assumed the obligations as well.
Third, it completely destroys the principle of nuclear proliferation as both Russia and the United States are violating the 1994 Budapest Memorandum under which Ukraine voluntarily surrendered the third largest nuclear arsenal in the world in return for (what have proven to be) toothless guarantees of its sovereignty and territorial integrity. This amounts to an open invitation for every rogue state on the planet to use every effort to become a standalone nuclear power.
Fourth it rewards Russia for countless war crimes including the indiscriminate murder of civilians, including children and the unspeakable tortures inflicted upon prisoners of war in blatant violation of the Geneva Convention.
Fifth, It requires Ukraine to violate its own Constitution.
Sixth, it allows foreign countries to arbitrarily sacrifice a victim to a ravenous dictatorship with absolutely no consideration for the rights of that victim as was done to Czechoslovakia under the 1938 Munich Agreement – which ultimately led to the outbreak of World War II.
Canada, the United Kingdom, the European Union and all other democratic states must take a firm stand against such a despicable betrayal of a democratic and peaceful country fighting for its very existence against an unspeakably brutal aggressor.
Trump’s bromance with Putin is the biggest threat to global security since World War II. All nations that believe in justice, international law and peaceful development must take a firm stand in the face of such malevolence.
As the great 18th century British parliamentarian Edmund Burke noted: “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.”
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