John Roberts
At noon on Jan. 20, 2025, Donald Trump will become president for the second time. Unlike during his first term, Trump takes office with America engaged in two wars. One involving an ally, Israel, and one a country whose security we pledged to support, Ukraine.
Trump campaigned saying he would negotiate an end to the Ukraine war. Unlike former President Richard Nixon, who promised “peace with honor” in extricating the United States from the Vietnam quagmire but delivered instead a messy American exit from Saigon (an exit that was unparalleled in its chaotic quality until President Joe Biden’s Afghanistan fiasco), Trump hasn’t overpromised on how he will end Russia’s war against Ukraine.
But how to get it done?
There is a Realpolitik case and a moral case for Trump putting maximum pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin to bring about a negotiated peace. That is to say, a peace that guarantees Ukraine’s national security and preserves as much of its territorial integrity as possible. The stunning fall of Aleppo in Syria illustrates how a resolution to the war between Russia and Ukraine lies in the Middle East. A combination of focused military action and Teddy Roosevelt-style diplomacy can simultaneously end Iran’s nuclear program, and perhaps bring about the downfall of its regime, while bolstering Trump’s position at the negotiating table. Trump should take advantage of the interconnectedness of today’s global political ecosystem.
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