Join the Friday news roundup with Victor Davis Hanson and co-host Sami Winc: escalation in the Ukraine war, faux ceasefire in Gaza, the American Music Awards and the dying recording industry, Apple’s future, Trump v. judicial overreach, Harvard’s insidious anti-Semitism, Columbia’s protestor’s profiles, racism in the WNBA, and California’s exodus and decline.
Have you seen “Gone to Texas” signs appear on the homes that Californians leave behind, Vic?
To Vorlonagent, this is not our war. Trump wants the killing to stop and to cut our loses. As well, he wants the U.S. to be reimbursed for the billions given to this corrupt Ukrainian government on an unaudited basis engaged in this insane war that can’t be won. Let Europeans deal with the Russians for a change.
Trump mishandled peace efforts in Ukraine from the start. He signalled a lack of resolution from the moment he took office. He wanted a deal, wanted it now and did not seem very concerned about what happened to Ukraine. That handed Putin the upper hand.
And by delaying long enough to allow for a spring/summer offensive, Putin has a chance to deal from a superior position, using Trump’s own desire to end the war against him. As VDH suggests, Putin could simply be angling to get more territory, but diminished US support holds out the possibility of a Ukrainian collpase.
This is where and why a commitment to a “forever war” is useful in extracting peace. Russia might not have been this aggressive in the face of a Trump Admin that appeared ready to go to the wall to support Ukraine and might more readily have accepted US terms.