Trump’s ignorance of facts about war in Ukraine gives Putin advantage – Time
Russian dictator Vladimir Putin believes that U.S. President Donald Trump’s gaps in knowledge about the Russia-Ukraine war have always given him an advantage in their conversations.
This was reported by Time, as cited by Censor.NET.
"Admitting ignorance seemed out of character for a president who often claims to know more than anyone else, and it could steer the peace process in a new and uncertain direction," the article reads, referring to Trump’s statement following his conversation with Putin on May 19.
At the time, the Republican said that only Kyiv and Moscow should be negotiating, because "they know the details of the talks that no one else knows."
Trump’s ignorance of the war gives Putin an advantage
According to Time, from Putin’s point of view, the gaps in Trump’s knowledge about the war have always offered an advantage.
"One of the Russian leader’s favorite negotiating tactics is to overwhelm his interlocutors with a torrent of historical theories and cherry-picked facts. Ukrainian officials and their European allies have tried to prepare Trump for such conversations with Putin by offering their own views on the complexity of the war and its history, but they have often run up against a wall of ignorance about Ukraine within the Trump administration," the article states.
A source from Ukraine’s diplomatic circles described the Trump administration’s approach to Kyiv as follows: "Like they know everything and don't want to hear anything.."
Time also recalled that this lack of understanding regarding the Russia–Ukraine war was evident in the case of special envoy Steve Witkoff, who was unable to name the regions Moscow seeks to occupy.
"These so-called four regions... Donbas, Crimea... you know the names," Witkoff said at the time.
The article underscores that countering Russia’s negotiation tactics requires a grasp of facts "that few inside the White House can easily piece together."
"In an effort to broaden Trump’s understanding of Ukraine, President Zelenskyy repeatedly encouraged him and his senior aides to visit the country and witness the war firsthand. None agreed to join Zelenskyy on one of his frequent trips to the front line. In February, Vice President J.D. Vance declined one such offer, telling Zelenskyy he was not interested in a ‘propaganda tour,’" the article states.
Putin–Trump phone call
As Time adds, after Trump’s call with Putin, it seems the White House may no longer be interested in pressuring either side to end the war.
Trump did not threaten sanctions against Russia for refusing to accept a ceasefire, nor did he promise any further U.S. engagement in the peace process.
"The American effort to engineer a peace between them has so far failed to produce the clean and easy win that Trump had promised. It has, in a word, turned out to be a lot more complicated than he thought.," the article concludes.
