Trump’s Shift on Ukraine and Russia: A Conversation with Amb. Daniel Fried and Dara Massicot

President Donald Trump this week put weapons behind his growing irritation with Russian President Vladimir Putin’s intransigence on negotiations to end the war in Ukraine. Meeting at the White House with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, President Trump announced that the United States will work with European allies in NATO to send advanced weapon systems, including Patriot missile batteries, to Ukraine. He also threatened tariffs and additional sanctions against Russia and countries that do business with it if it doesn’t ease its assault on Ukraine and make progress on stalled peace talks within 50 days. 

What impact is this policy shift likely to have on the war in Ukraine? Will the combination of military support for Ukraine and economic threats toward Russia succeed in forcing President Putin to the negotiating table, or could they spur further escalation? 

On this episode, host Viola Gienger is joined by Ambassador Daniel Fried and Dara Massicot to discuss Trump’s policy shift on Ukraine and its impact.

Show Notes:

• The Just Security Podcast: A Ukrainian MP Takes Stock of the NATO Summit and the Prospects for Peace, with Ukrainian MP Oleksiy Goncharenko, Lauren Van Metre, and Viola Gienger. 
• Ambassador Daniel Fried’s “Can Trump Seize a Win in Ukraine?” in Just Security 
• Ambassador Daniel Fried’s “How to Land the Emerging Deal on Peace for Ukraine” in Just Security 
• Just Security’s Russia-Ukraine War Archive 
• Russia's Eliminationist Rhetoric Against Ukraine: A Collection by Clara Apt in Just Security