Anastasia Ryabokon 21:08, 28.10.25 UNIAN
Joseph Bosco writes about Trump’s chaotic policy shifts and attributes them to personal reasons and ultimate disillusionment with the Russian dictator
The United States could change the dynamics of the war in Ukraine if it puts aside its hesitations and provides Tomahawk missiles and sides with Ukraine on NATO membership issues, political scientist and former director for China under the US Secretary of Defense from 2005 to 2006, Joseph Bosco, writes in a column for The Hill .
He recalled that in recent weeks, US President Donald Trump has changed his policy on Ukraine several times. But in the end, he canceled “another ill-considered summit with Putin” and imposed long-delayed sanctions against the two largest Russian oil companies.
Bosco compared Trump’s chaotic policy shifts to former President Biden’s hesitations about the appropriate response to Putin’s aggression. Biden, in his view, dragged his feet on Ukraine’s buildup while simultaneously “limiting Ukraine’s ability to strike targets deep inside Russia and framing the war as an existential struggle for peace in Europe and the preservation of international order.”
“A series of hesitations and tactical vacillations by Biden and Trump have created a sense of strategic confusion among Putin and his allies in Beijing, Pyongyang, and Tehran. And this is just one stage in what could well turn into a three- or four-front war. Trump needs to take action now to prevent this nightmare scenario,” he wrote.
He advises Trump to recognize that the war in Ukraine is not just a clash of personalities between two men who “hate each other,” but the greatest outbreak of cross-border aggression in Europe since World War II. And now the war is escalating and potentially spreading.
“Trump can change the dynamics if he finally opens up to Ukraine and gives it the opportunity to do what he called a realistic possibility two weeks ago: expel the Russian invaders,” the expert added.
He also analyzes Trump’s motives for helping Ukraine, which are not out of sympathy for the victims or moral outrage at Putin’s massive violations of international law:
“Most likely, this will reflect his disappointment with Putin’s once vaunted reputation as a strongman who knows how to get his way and does it ruthlessly effectively. Perhaps he now sees Putin as an inevitable loser – in Trump’s eyes, that’s the worst thing that can be said about a leader.”
He added that if Trump’s new policy emerges now, the first thing he should do is send Tomahawks to Ukraine. Next, Bosco believes, Trump should convince NATO allies to use frozen Russian assets to purchase additional Tomahawks and other advanced weapons systems to “impose an increasingly unbearable price on Russia for continuing the war.”
He also advises publicly warning Putin that if he does not agree to peace, the US “will take a more active and direct part on the side of Ukraine and make a concerted effort to convince NATO to accept Ukraine as a full member.” These events, according to the expert, will mean a military and political defeat for Putin and a clear signal to China, Iran and North Korea that “their days of terrorizing their neighbors and their own populations are quickly coming to an end.”
Sanctions against Russia – latest news
Recall that on October 22, Donald Trump approved new US sanctions against the Russian Federation. They affected the two largest Russian oil companies – Rosneft and Lukoil.
After that, Lukoil announced that it was looking for buyers for its foreign assets. And Indian oil refining companies have not placed new orders for Russian oil since the sanctions were imposed.
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