Yuri Kobzar19:26, 24.10.26
Putin has already proven that he is ready to go to any expense for the opportunity to conquer Ukraine.
US President Donald Trump is mistakenly counting on offering the Russian dictator some economic benefits to force him to agree to peace in Ukraine. In reality, Putin is not interested in money, and he is using Washington’s concessions to further widen the conflict, writes Thomas Wright, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, in an article for The Atlantic .
The author draws a parallel with the events of 1965, when US President Lyndon Johnson offered North Vietnam massive economic aid in exchange for an end to hybrid aggression against South Vietnam. However, Hanoi refused the offer. As Wright explains, this historical example demonstrates that economic incentives do not always work in international politics, where nationalism, ideology, and rivalry play a significant role.
“Donald Trump has fallen into the same trap as Vladimir Putin, apparently believing that the right economic incentives will persuade the Russian leader to make peace. (…) The naivety behind this might be forgivable if Putin were a new leader with no experience, but he is a well-known figure. Ukraine is his obsession, his white whale. He wants to conquer it and has proven that he will pay a huge price to achieve this goal,” the analyst writes.
According to the author, at the beginning of his second presidential term, Trump hoped to quickly end the war by freezing the front line and refusing Ukraine from joining NATO. However, instead of strengthening Kyiv’s military position and pressuring Moscow with sanctions, the American president relied on financial benefits for Russia. The negotiating team was supplemented by his friend, businessman Steve Witkoff, who worked on agreements with Russian financier Kirill Dmitriev.
One of the previous proposals included lifting sanctions, joint US-Russian business projects, and Russia’s return to the Group of Seven. However, the talks reached an impasse over Putin’s demand to hand over additional Ukrainian territories to Russia.
The new round of diplomatic contacts was accompanied by an agreement to supply Russian diesel fuel to the US and global markets. The Trump administration also considered the possibility of returning some of Russia’s frozen assets as an incentive for a partial ceasefire.
However, this has only led to a deterioration in relations between Washington and Kyiv, while Russia is apparently seeking to use the winter to weaken Ukraine with massive strikes on energy infrastructure, as well as expand its sabotage campaign against Kyiv’s European partners.
According to the expert, Putin’s calculations can only be changed by increasing pressure. The US should provide Ukraine with air defense means, help it inflict losses on Russian troops, and support European countries in deterring Russian attacks.
“Putin seems to believe that time is on his side. Trump’s concessions reinforce this belief,” Wright writes.
The author also urges Trump to consider that the next US administration may take a tougher stance on Russia. This prospect could be used by Washington as an argument in favor of a quick agreement on terms acceptable to Ukraine.
“To achieve a ceasefire, he now has to convince Putin that war will be more expensive than peace,” the analyst believes.
(C)UNIAN 2026
Taco doesn’t have the brains to make a peace deal that makes sense. Besides that, all he’s interested in is to line his pockets. He’ll gladly let the mafia state slaughter hundreds of thousands more if it means making his wallet fatter than ever.
“Trump hoped to quickly end the war by freezing the front line and refusing Ukraine from joining NATO”
And Trump (just like his predecessors) should have learned then that the Moskali regard concessions as weak and will only ask for more and more.
We should have taken Patton’s advice many years ago, “What the hell do we care what the Russians think? Sooner or later, we’re going to have to fight them anyway, Let’s do it now…”