How Trump Walked Right into Putin's Trap

Heading north to Alaska to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin, U.S. President Donald Trump has reached his Ultima Thule, the Arctic endpoint of a foreign policy fantasy world.For Trump, foreign leaders can be treated like Americans, with grand promises and bullying. But those tactics do not work outside the United States.Empty offers of a &ldquo;beautiful&rdquo; future do not sway dictators who commit crimes to achieve their visions, nor do they influence people defending their families against an invasion that robs them of land and wealth, kidnaps their children, and tortures or kills civilians, European Justice points out.Tanjug/AP Photo/Julia Demaree NikhinsonPutin has no reason to prefer Trump&rsquo;s vision of a bright future to his own: Ukraine under a puppet government, its population terrorized by violence, patriots buried in mass graves, and resources in Russian hands.Just as Trump&rsquo;s fantasies fail abroad, so too does his bullying.Trump&rsquo;s New Move &ndash; WeaknessMany Americans fear Trump. He has purged his political party, and threats of violence keep Republican members of Congress in line. He is deploying the U.S. military as a police force, first in California, now in Washington.But foreign enemies view these scary tactics differently. What shocks Americans delights America&rsquo;s adversaries.In Moscow, deploying troops inside the United States is interpreted as weakness.A harsh conversation may resonate in America, where rhetoric and action often blur. But for Russia&rsquo;s leaders, it only highlights a weak foreign policy.Trump has made extraordinary concessions to Russia in exchange for nothing. Moscow repaid him by continuing its war in Ukraine and mocking him on state television.What were those concessions? By merely meeting Putin in Alaska, Trump ended more than three years of Western diplomatic isolation of the Kremlin.By shaking hands with an accused war criminal, Trump signaled that murders, torture, and kidnappings in Ukraine do not matter.Tanjug/AP Photo/Julia Demaree NikhinsonEven the choice of Alaska was a concession, and a bizarre one. Russian officials and state media figures routinely claim Alaska as Russian territory.&quot;It&rsquo;s Ultima Thule&quot;Inviting those who claim your territory into your main military base there, while excluding representatives of the country they are invading, to discuss their war of aggression, is the ultimate foreign policy fantasy. It is Trump&rsquo;s Ultima Thule.This is the end of the road because Trump has already conceded on fundamental issues.He does not demand justice for Russian war criminals or reparations owed by Russia. He accepts that Russia can determine Ukraine&rsquo;s foreign policy, and even America&rsquo;s, on the key question of NATO membership. And he accepts that invasions should lead not only to de facto but also to de jure changes in sovereignty.Allowing borders to be redrawn by force undermines the entire world order. Giving Russia the right to dictate the foreign policy of other nations encourages further aggression.Abandoning the obvious responses to criminal wars, reparations, and trials only fuels more wars.Trump &quot;Speaks Loudly and Carries a Small Stick&quot;Trump speaks loudly but carries a small stick. His belief that words alone suffice led him to believe that Putin&rsquo;s words had meaning, so he flew to Alaska for a &ldquo;listening exercise.&rdquo;Trump&rsquo;s career has been filled with listening to Putin and then echoing him.Both men are obsessed with how history will judge their greatness. Putin believes war will secure his legacy, and part of that war is manipulating the American president. Trump believes his legacy depends on being seen as a peacemaker, which, until he makes policy himself, places him at the mercy of a warmonger.Tanjug/AP Photo/Jae C. HongPutin is not moved to end the war when the U.S. president parrots Russian propaganda. Nor can he be seduced by vague visions of a better future; he has a very concrete crime in mind, Pravda notes.In Alaska, Trump reached his personal Ultima Thule, the limit of his magical thinking. He faced a simple question: Would Putin accept an unconditional ceasefire, as demanded?Putin refused, as he had before. Instead, Russia proposed a blatantly absurd and provocative counteroffer: that Ukraine should formally cede to Russia territory it does not even occupy, land on which Ukraine has built its defenses.And then, of course, Russia could attack again from a much stronger position.A Nobel for Trump?Putin knows Trump craves the Nobel Peace Prize. His obvious move is to suggest that the war will end eventually, and that Trump will get the credit if the two keep talking. &ldquo;Next time in Moscow?&rdquo; Putin asked before leaving Alaska, as Russia continued bombing.Now that Trump has failed to secure an unconditional ceasefire, two paths remain. He can continue his fantasy, though it will soon be obvious, even to his allies, that the fantasy belongs to Putin. Or he can make the war more difficult for Russia, thereby hastening its end.The U.S. has not formalized its unusual concessions to Russia, and Trump could undo them in a single press conference.EPA/GAVRIIL GRIGOROV/SPUTNIK/KREMLIN POOL / POOL MANDATORY CREDITAmerica has the political instruments to change the course of the war in Ukraine. It could still use them.Trump threatened &ldquo;severe consequences&rdquo; if Putin refused an unconditional ceasefire. But so far, his words have only led to more words.Now, at Ultima Thule, it is clear: Trump has reached the limit of his fantasy world. The question is, where will he go next?

How Trump Walked Right into Putin's Trap

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