Donald Trump’s posts on social media have been a key tool in his fight to disrupt politics and redefine his country’s place in the world. His fusillade of impulsive and often impetuous tweets on first Twitter, and now also his own Truth Social platform, dominate headlines, shift markets and shatter diplomatic norms.
They are often outrageous, sometimes disturbing and frequently promote falsehoods, exposing the unfiltered thoughts of a thin-skinned narcissist restored to power in the world’s wealthiest nation. Yet could one of them now be the unlikely trigger for peace in the grotesque war that scars our continent?
Let me explain. Last Thursday evening, Trump posted that he wanted “ideally a 30-day unconditional ceasefire” in Ukraine, saying this would be used to “build toward a Peace Agreement” with sanctions imposed against either side if refusing to comply.
This followed a phone call with Volodymyr Zelensky, the Ukrainian president, which seemed to have solidified their improving relationship after that 15-minute chat last month in the Vatican on the sidelines of Pope Francis’s funeral – an impromptu meeting that appeared to have papered over the pair’s fractious relationship. All this came amid reports that the White House has grown frustrated at Russia’s refusal to bend on its stance over Ukraine while continuing to carry out atrocities.
Zelensky smartly welcomed Trump’s statement, saying the next day – again on social media – that “Ukraine is ready for a full ceasefire starting right now, from this very moment.” Meanwhile JD Vance, the US vice president and biggest Kremlin patsy in an administration stuffed with Putin appeasers, said that if peace talks broke down, the blame would lie with Russia since they were asking for “too much.”
This statement of the obvious was seen as a hopeful sign. So European leaders, working with the Ukrainian government, opted to try and manoeuvre both the White House – which has been threatening to walk away from peace talks – and the Kremlin into the ceasefire being demanded by Trump.
This was the backdrop for the visit to Kyiv by Sir Keir Starmer alongside French president Emmanuel Macron, Polish prime minister Donald Tusk and new German chancellor Friedrich Merz – who has shown his intention to show stronger support to Ukraine than his predecessor while seeming to recognise the urgent need for our continent to bolster defences in such an uncertain world.
I joined Starmer, Macron and Merz on their overnight train into the country, so was fortunate to have a ringside seat on the machinations that took place in Ukraine’s presidential palace.
Clearly the five leaders were engaged on a symbolic mission designed to send a declaration of European resolve to hostile regimes in both Russia and the United States while pandering to Trump’s ego by making him appear the architect of any deal. First came a virtual conference with about 25 other leaders to show the scale of support, followed by a 20-minute call to Trump as the quintet crowded around Macron’s phone.
There was also a heavy military presence, with a meeting to plan how this “coalition of the willing” might help secure Ukraine’s terrain after any peace deal, so I found myself listening to the subsequent press conference beside Admiral Sir Tony Radakin, Britain’s chief of defence staff, and a top Polish officer. One source at the talks confirmed that boots on the ground remained a possibility.
The result of this summit was their demand for an immediate 30-day ceasefire backed by a threat of “massive” sanctions on the banking and energy infrastructure that fuels Russia’s war machine. This begs the question, of course, why they have not been imposed already to throttle Moscow’s economy, retooled to rely on war.
Despite claims that Russia has seen 900,000 casualties in its floundering invasion, Putin underlined this month that he remains set on his desire to crush Ukraine. And he has been running rings around Trump’s dismal team – to the extent that the US president’s hand-picked negotiator, a fellow property tycoon called Steve Witkoff, even relied on a Russian intelligence operative as his translator in recent talks.
Europe’s leaders hope to prove to Trump that Putin – if he fails to agree to a real ceasefire – is the bad guy stringing him along, resulting in stronger US support for Ukraine in the absence of a sustainable peace deal.
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I know: it is absurd they have to prove to the US that this bloodstained despot is a brutal, warmongering liar given his sordid record. But such is the disturbing reality of today’s White House. And sure enough, the Kremlin reacted by playing its typical stalling games – proposing direct talks with Kyiv to tackle “root causes” of this conflict before agreeing to any ceasefire.
Never forget the real root cause of this catastrophe is Putin’s fear of freedom and his imperial ambitions, which sparked his initial attack in 2014 and then full-scale invasion three years ago. And it is worth recalling the last time there were direct talks between these two nations, one Ukrainian negotiator – a banker linked to military intelligence – ended up being murdered while another of their key players was reportedly poisoned along with former Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich, who was involved in secret discussions and briefly lost his eyesight.
Putin’s message rebuffed European demands while appearing sufficiently engaged to dupe Trump into thinking he is being helpful. His spokesman claimed Europe was “confrontational” and said they would only accept a ceasefire if the West stopped supplying arms to Ukraine.
Note also how the Kremlin thanked the White House, which has repeatedly echoed its propaganda – and then Trump’s deluded response in saying it was “a potentially great day for Russia and Ukraine!”
Meanwhile Kyiv is running out of the US Patriot air defences to protect its cities and civilians. So the atrocities continue, the blood keeps flowing, the bodies pile up, the diplomatic games carry on, an infantile American president keeps ranting on social media – and hopes of a lasting peace in this cruellest of wars remain disturbingly distant.
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