It seems that Donald Trump is changing his tactics towards Vladimir Putin, realizing that the Russian president will not stop his war against Ukraine.
Q. The Washington Post writes that the United States will sell NATO countries $ 10 billion in weapons, which will then be delivered to Ukraine.
What Trump did not mention is that the military aid could also include authorization for some powerful new offensive weapons. Pentagon officials have been pushing for deeper strikes in Russia for months, including with ATACMS, the newspaper wrote, citing its sources.
Trump has even considered sending Tomahawk cruise missiles. They could hit Moscow and St. Petersburg, but are not yet on the delivery list. delivery.
The US president is angry with Putin. During a recent conversation, Trump asked Zelensky why he had not struck Moscow. "We can if you give us the weapons," Zelensky said. Trump said Ukraine should put more pressure on Putin, not just on Moscow but also on St. Petersburg.
According to a source familiar with the administration's discussions, Trump has decided to escalate his attitude towards the Kremlin for three reasons. First, he believes Putin does not respect him, pretending to be ready for peace but ignoring the US president's call for a ceasefire. Second, Trump has seen the effectiveness of US military power in using B-2 bombers and Tomahawk missiles against Iran. And third, he believes Putin will only negotiate if threatened with greater force. As the Russians like to say, Trump has decided to "escalate, for to de-escalate“.
If Trump can pull off this new pressure campaign, he might just earn the coveted Nobel Peace Prize. But there may be more dynamite on the road to peace.