How Putin Outmaneuvered Trump: The Failed 24-Hour Ukraine Peace Promise
An in-depth analysis of Trump’s failed vow to end the Ukraine war swiftly and how Putin leveraged the situation to his advantage
This post can be read in Tocsin Magazine, and all Medium members can read the full article here.
Introduction
“I’ll end the war in Ukraine in 24 hours!”
Do you recall this promise made by Trump regarding the war in Ukraine before he became president? It’s been well over 24 hours, and the war in Ukraine continues with no end in sight. People are dying on both sides — Russian and Ukrainian.
The wealthy are getting richer, while the poor and ordinary people are dying for the ideals of politicians who instigated this war.
What went wrong? Why didn’t President Trump manage to keep his promise?
In my opinion, it seems that Trump overestimated himself and his negotiating abilities while underestimating Putin, his power, desire for glory, and ambition to conquer Ukraine. Trump believed that his friendship with Putin and the superpower backing of the U.S. presidency would be sufficient to pressure both sides into negotiations. However, as things stand now, it appears he was gravely mistaken. Business Standard
First and foremost, he underestimated the Russian president and his ambitions, thinking that Putin was truly his friend and would accept well-intentioned suggestions. He also underestimated the power of Mother Russia and the Russian people, both militarily and economically. Russia has a history of great wars and significant victories, and with an ambitious, intelligent, and ruthless leader like Putin at the helm, its ambitions seem boundless.
Moreover, he severely underestimated the small nation of Ukraine, its people, and President Zelensky. Any nation fighting on its own soil, defending its home, fights like a lion — ruthlessly, passionately, and to the end. An invader always remains just that — an invader fighting in a foreign land for someone else’s ideals, not their own.
Many believed that once Russia attacked, it would consume Ukraine for breakfast and the war would be over in a few days. But they failed to consider a nation defending its home, willing to fight to the last drop of blood.
Misconceptions About Putin, Russia, and Ukraine
This lack of understanding of the situation on the ground, local politicians, customs, and the people fighting may have been a crucial factor leading President Trump to the delusion that he could end the war with a single phone call and a few signatures. It seems that Putin himself allowed and encouraged this delusion, pursuing his own interests and playing his own game.
He allowed Trump to view Russia as a potential ally and friend while harboring entirely different intentions. He succeeded in sowing discord between Europe and the USA, long-standing allies, and continued to achieve military objectives in Ukraine under the guise of seeking peace, while his “Special Military Operation” was never intended to cease.
He has been nibbling away at Ukrainian territory, piece by piece, moving closer to his goal each day.
But Europe itself, being sluggish, slow, and burdened with bureaucracy, hasn’t contributed much to resolving the Ukrainian issue. On the contrary, it has further complicated matters by imposing sanctions on Russia and sending military aid to Ukraine.
As things stand now, the allies are in strained relations, arguing over the war in Ukraine, while Putin muddles the waters and exploits the situation for further conquests, with no intention of stopping.
If something radical doesn’t change in the relationships between the USA, Europe, and Ukraine, Russians might soon be vacationing on the Mediterranean Sea without passports in their own country.
Statements to the Media and on Social Media
According to recent news reports, even President Trump seems to be waking up from his dream and realizing who Putin truly is — a ruthless and ambitious dictator who has no friends, only allies until he achieves his goal.
After Russia launched 355 drones towards Ukraine and nine cruise missiles at Kyiv’s air forces over the weekend, U.S. President Donald Trump expressed deep dissatisfaction with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The Sun
Although Trump’s statements are inconsistent — sometimes attacking Putin, then defending him — there’s an increasing sense of nervousness, emotion, and impatience in his social media posts, such as this one on Truth Social:
“Putin has completely lost it. I’ve always said he wants all of Ukraine, not just a part, and maybe that’s proving to be true, but if he does that, it will lead to Russia’s downfall!”
Or the one he gave to reporters at the Morristown, New Jersey airport while preparing to return to Washington, where he expressed dissatisfaction with Russia’s bombing of Ukraine over the weekend, saying:
“I don’t know what’s wrong with him. What the hell happened to him? He’s killing a lot of people. I’m not happy about it.”
Trump didn’t hold back on Zelensky either, having harsh words for him, saying that:
“He’s not doing his country any favors by speaking the way he does. Everything he says causes problems, I don’t like it, and he’d better stop.”
But as mentioned earlier, Trump isn’t consistent with himself, sometimes attacking Putin and sometimes defending him. However, judging by recent media reports, it seems he’s deeply offended and, if the latest peace efforts fail, he’s even ready to impose sanctions on Russia.
Furthermore, it appears he’s even considering lifting all restrictions on Ukraine, which would be a complete reversal of his policy.
In one of his latest statements on Truth Social, he wrote:
“What Vladimir Putin doesn’t realize is that many really bad things would have already happened to Russia if it weren’t for me. He’s playing with fire!”
To which the Kremlin quickly responded, with spokesman Dmitry Medvedev saying that the only truly bad thing to worry about is World War III.
“I hope Trump understands this!” he added.
Even French President Emmanuel Macron noted that Trump has finally realized that Putin wasn’t seeking peace.
“President Trump understands that President Putin lied when he said over the phone that he was ready for peace or told his envoys that he was ready for peace,” Macron said.
Conclusion
Judging by the developments in Ukraine and globally, it seems that President Trump’s campaign promise to end the war in Ukraine in 24 hours has remained just a wishful thought and an unfulfilled dream, as there’s no end to the war in sight.
Due to his inability to keep this promise, Trump is now furious, losing control over the situation, and making policy shifts regarding Putin and Russia.
Moreover, the situation has become even more complicated, as it appears Trump has realized who Putin truly is.
Unfortunately, lives are being lost on the battlefield daily, and people are dying senselessly, while the situation is going from bad to worse. Instead of ending the war, relations between the countries involved are only becoming more strained.
If something radical doesn’t change, there’s a risk of the conflict expanding and potentially leading to a third world war, which no one needs and certainly won’t bring anything good.
https://cryptonftworlds.blogspot.com/2025/06/trump-vs-musk-billionaire-feud-shakes.html
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