Victor Davis Hanson: Trump’s Warning on Russia and NATO

Oct 2, 2025

Donald Trump’s shifting views on Russia and NATO take center stage, as industry expert Victor Davis Hanson analyzes the war's stagnation. He discusses Trump’s call for NATO to cut Russian energy revenue and the heavy costs Russia faces. With Ukraine’s military limitations in mind, Hanson explores the challenges of reclaiming territory and emphasizes the importance of tactical strikes. The conversation raises questions of negotiation and economic pressure as potential paths to peace, all while warning against the horrors of trench warfare.

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INSIGHT

Trump's Strategic Shift On Russia

Victor Davis Hanson argues Trump shifted from expecting a deal with Putin to seeing a prolonged stalemate in Ukraine.
Trump now promotes cutting Russia's energy revenue and warns NATO to defend its airspace against incursions.

ANECDOTE

Trump's Initial Bet On Knowing Putin

Hanson recounts Trump's early view that he "knows Putin" and could cut a deal because Putin feared and respected him.
That calculation failed as Putin engaged in a grinding, World-War-I style slog in Ukraine instead.

INSIGHT

War Of Attrition And Energy Leverage

Hanson highlights that Putin's invasion turned into trench warfare with heavy Russian casualties and a war of attrition.
He says Trump now proposes a coordinated energy boycott to starve Russia's income and force negotiation.

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At the United Nations, President Donald Trump said Vladimir Putin is “stalled” in Ukraine and called on NATO to cut off Russia’s oil and gas revenue. Trump, who once argued he could make a deal with Putin, now says the war has become a costly stalemate.

As the war drags on, is Trump right that NATO can force Russia to the table? Victor Davis Hanson explains Trump’s evolving strategy, Ukraine’s military limits, and what a real path to peace could look like on today’s episode of “Victor Davis Hanson: In His Own Words.”

“Donald Trump said something—so we don't know where that area to negotiate is. But it's somewhere. But then Donald Trump said, I think, wisely, he said: But we're going to make sure Ukraine doesn't lose. And then he said they can take, as I said, they can take back all the land. They can't. We saw the 2023 offensive. This is World War I. And all of the assets are on Russia's side.

“They don't have the manpower. They don't have the wherewithal. What they do have are brilliant fighters, a sophisticated drone industry, that if they are entrenched and they can hold a line where they are and they can selectively hit oil refineries and munitions plants in Russia, in Western Russia, then they can make it so costly…that Russia will have to come to the bargaining table.”

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👉He’s also the host of “The Victor Davis Hanson Show,” available wherever you prefer to watch or listen. Links to the show and exclusive content are available on his website: https://victorhanson.com(0:00) Trump’s Shift on Ukraine

(1:52) Trump’s Perspective (2:45) Putin’s Invasion (4:16) Realities of the Conflict (7:18) Conclusion

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