Donald Trump’s Flip-Flopping Has Failed Ukraine and Helped Putin

 

Following months of inaction, Donald Trump has shifted his stance on the war in Ukraine, reversing his administration’s previous halt on military aid and unveiling a new plan to sell additional U.S. weapons to NATO allies, who would then transfer them to Kyiv. 

Donald Trump’s volatile approach to Ukraine has serious consequences for our allies in Kyiv – and allowed Putin to double down on the war. Here’s a closer look at how Donald Trump has failed Ukraine — and undercut U.S. leadership in the world — as Commander in Chief:


Inability to Deliver Peace

  • Donald Trump pledged to end the war in Ukraine “on day one” – and even promised to resolve the conflict before he took office. Trump claimed that he alone could resolve the conflict in Ukraine due to his personal relationship with Putin. 

  • Shortly after taking office, the Trump Administration established a 100-day deadline for peace in Ukraine, warning there would be serious consequences for Russia if they refused to come to the table and negotiate in good faith. Later, Trump talked of a six-month timeline. Eventually, Trump said he was prepared to "just back away" and allow the fighting to continue if the two leaders can't make progress soon.

  • In May, Trump fumbled peace talks in Istanbul that he had personally arranged – backing down and excusing Putin after the Russian leader refused to attend. 

  • Then, in July, Trump gave Putin another 50 days to end the war that he started, threatening “very severe tariffs” if Russia didn’t agree to a peace deal. 

  • Today, the war is worse than ever. Russia regularly launches hundreds of drone and missile attacks on Ukrainian cities, and the Ukrainian military continues to suffer high casualties. 

Refusal to Pressure Putin 

  • Without new sanctions, existing measures are losing their force – allowing Russia to evade sanctions through new shell companies and rebuild its military. 

  • Russia was even left off of Donald Trump’s “Liberation Day” tariffs list, which took aim at trade with almost every other country in the world – including our closest allies. 

  • Trump has undermined a bipartisan sanctions bill meant to ratchet up economic pressure on Russia. Behind closed doors, his administration is working to soften the bill’s enforcement measures. 

Failure to Deliver the Support Ukraine Needs

  • Just weeks into Trump’s term, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth paused military aid to Ukraine, halting shipments of desperately needed weaponry to Ukraine. 

  • Months later, following an infamous Oval Office meeting with President Zelenskyy, Trump again ordered an indefinite pause on all military aid. 

  • The administration suspended intelligence sharing with Ukraine and threatened to cut Ukraine’s access to Elon Musk's vital Starlink satellite internet system. 

  • In July, the Pentagon again temporarily paused the delivery of supplies, including air-defense systems to protect civilians from nightly Russian attacks. 

  • Analysts expressed concern that Ukraine could only defend itself for a matter of months due to President Trump’s suspension of military aid.

Inexplicable Demands for Concessions from Ukraine – not Russia

  • In February, Trump pressured Ukraine to grant the United States ownership of half its mineral and oil resources as payment for continued support, demanding as much as $500 billion – substantially more than Ukraine has received in aid. 

  • In April, Trump presented Ukraine with a “final offer” peace framework that required Ukraine to accept Russian control over Crimea and other occupied territories. 

  • The Trump Administration has rejected Ukraine's request for security guarantees and NATO membership – without extracting any concessions from Russia in exchange. 

  • The administration has gone so far as to embrace Putin’s rationale for the war. Trump’s main negotiator regularly echoes false Russian talking points and propaganda. He has repeated Putin’s view that “Ukraine is just a false country, that they just patched together in this sort of mosaic, these regions.”

Published: July 2025