The Ukraine question

It seems President Donald Trump's personal vibes with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin have hit snags. The equation that he wanted to strike with his country's conventional adversary by making peace is apparently on the rocks.

The change of heart is evident as the White House is now once again contemplating to woo Kyiv at the cost of alienating Moscow, and the decision to arm the West's allied-ally engaged in an existential war with Kremlin will go a long way in redefining a new Cold War when multilateralism is on the rise.

Thus, NATO's stance to threaten BRICS countries with economic coercion if they did not prevail over Putin to make peace over Ukraine hints at depreciation of American influence, and the beginning of a new era of confrontational politics.

The carrot and stick policy that Trump wants to make use of in the form of sanctions and tariffs over its allies, and major trading partners, seems myopic. It is surprising that over the last six months Washington has changed its goal-post several times on the issues of slapping tariffs on China, Canada, India, Brazil and Britain. And now engaging NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte for pushing the envelope in terms of a quid pro quo geopolitical peace over Ukraine is literally confusing.

Either Trump has given up on his initiative to befriend Putin, or he has become a victim of politics of convenience at home and is toeing the traditional American policy of confronting Russia, as it suits the mighty military businesses.

It is current history that President Zelenskyy was grilled at The Oval and pushed to strike a deal with Putin, and now it's back to square one wherein the yesteryears' Evil Empire is being reincarnated.

Trump shall be better advised to put off for a while his impulsive mindset, and engage with the world at large in a manner that befits global leadership. Hoping Russia to come to terms "within 50 days" when it is strategically better placed over Ukraine is wishful thinking, and is taking the US nowhere near a logical solution. Rather this brinkmanship is costing it its leadership.