Washington Post journalist David Ignatius has learned from his anonymous sources that US leader Donald Trump's recent decisive steps in support of Ukraine have their own very specific reasons. One of them is that Russian dictator Vladimir Putin has repeatedly shown contempt for the US president.
Points of attention
- Trump acknowledges the effectiveness of US military power against Iran and believes it can also be used as leverage against Russia.
- The decision to escalate tensions with Russia is seen as a strategy to push Putin towards peace talks under the threat of greater force.
Putin made Trump very angry
According to insiders, the head of the White House decided to escalate for three reasons.
Donald Trump has finally realized that Putin does not respect him, but only feigns readiness for peace. The Russian dictator stubbornly ignores the American leader's call for a ceasefire against Ukraine;
The US President saw the effectiveness of US military power in using B-2 bombers and Tomahawk missiles against Iran. He understood that this tool could also be used against Russia;
Trump believes that Putin will agree to peace talks only under the threat of greater force.
As the Russians like to say, Trump decided to "escalate for the sake of de-escalation," journalist Ignatius said.
However, the main problem is that the American leader ultimately decided to escalate, the consequences of which are impossible to predict.
Trump refused to answer one question: If Putin decides to escalate further, how far are you prepared to go in response? "Don't ask me, 'How far?'" Trump snapped. "I just want the war to end."
