Donald Trump's recent shift on Ukraine has created an interesting dynamic among the Eurotrash leaders, and it begs the question: Did the current U.S. president just pull the mask off their faces?
As RedState reported, Trump recently pledged full support to the Ukrainian effort and even predicted they would win the war by regaining all the territory Russia has seized. I might quibble with that, given I still see no path to regaining Crimea, but overall, I think the president's change of heart is a good one.
SEE: Trump Predicted Ukrainian Victory
I've explained my position before as someone who supports Ukraine in the broader sense but also wants to see a realistic path laid out to ending the war. In short, you don't have to write a blank check to Ukraine to believe that Russia is the unjustified aggressor and that Vladimir Putin is not going to operate in good faith. After all, this is still America, and call it jingoism if you must, but you're not going to get me to like a Soviet-era thug, even if a few influential people on the right have gone down that road.
Trump gave Putin ample opportunity to negotiate a deal. Instead, the Russian leader mocked the effort, increasing bombing attacks on civilian areas. That was a miscalculation because if there's one thing Trump hates, it's being made to look weak. Now, Putin has painted himself into a corner, and whatever deal he might have gotten earlier in the year will be much worse if he ever decides to come to the table.
SEE: Trump Relationship With Zelensky Improved Because Putin Lied
With that said, Trump's decision to abandon the niceties and get tough on Russia has left the Europeans in a frenzy. That would seem counterintuitive, right? You'd think they'd be thrilled, given all the performative virtue-signaling they've done over the years regarding Ukraine. Instead, they are cynically panicking that they will be blamed for any future failures.
European officials fear Donald Trump's latest rhetoric on Ukraine aims to set them an impossible mission that will allow the US president to shift blame away from Washington if Kyiv falters in the war or runs short of cash...
On Thursday Poland's Prime Minister Donald Tusk warned publicly that Trump's "surprising optimism" disguised a promise of reduced US involvement and a shift of responsibility for ending the war to Europe. He added on X: "Better truth than illusions."
These absolute cowards. Since 2022, they've pledged their total commitment to seeing Ukraine win the war against Russia. I've lost track of how many times leaders from the UK, Germany, France, Poland, and the rest have gone to Kyiv to hug Volodymyr Zelensky. Yet, the moment Trump unequivocally gives them the green light to go all-in, they start crying that he's shifting "responsibility" for ending the war to Europe. Newsflash: The war is taking place in Europe.
That's not the worst of it, though, because there's something more sinister bubbling below the surface. While the United States has cut off essentially all oil imports from Russia, Europe has continued to pump in hundreds of thousands of barrels a day from Russia through direct pipelines and third-hand arrangements. In other words, the Eurotrash have been patting Zelensky on the back with one hand while the other hand funds the Russian war effort they claim to oppose.
What that means politically is that these spineless European leaders have been expecting Ukraine to lose this entire time, even as they've preached total victory as a way to swipe at Trump. The U.S. president has turned that dynamic on its head, though. No longer can the Eurotrash point the finger at America and shrug their shoulders. This war is in their hands, and Trump has offered his full support. If they aren't willing to take the steps to ensure Russia suffers economically, that's on them, and they don't want it to be on them.
Well, that's too bad, because they don't get to move the goalposts. They projected themselves as being willing to do what it takes to see Ukraine victorious, and they will be held to that standard. Trump ripped the mask off. The pretending and posturing won't work anymore.
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