THE TELEGRAPH: It is one thing to make concessions during talks – but there is no case to make them in advance. The US president has enfeebled the West
sn’t Donald Trump supposed to be a tough guy? Isn’t he the master of “the art of the deal”? This man can claim to have brought Hamas to heel by threatening to unleash Hell against them. Even with friendly powers such as Canada, he has not been shy of using a strong arm.
So why, this week, did the 45th and 47th President of the United States telephone Vladimir Putin and give him half of what he wants before any formal negotiation has even begun? Instead of setting pre-conditions, Mr Trump has given pre-concessions.
The first mistake – or, if it was deliberate, the first wrong – was to see this issue as a matter solely for the two heads of state involved. Only after he had parlayed for 90 minutes from White House to Kremlin did Mr Trump deign to speak to the president whose people Putin is murdering and whose country he is still invading.
And when President Trump did contact Volodymyr Zelensky, it was not to include him in negotiations. It was simply to report a bit of what the two great men had said. The conference table has not even been laid, but we already know that its shape will suit the oppressor not the victim.
The second Trump mistake was, through his Defence Secretary, Peter Hegseth, to remove some key Ukrainian demands from the as-yet-unreadied table. » | Charles Moore | Friday, February 14, 2025
Trump is a vainglorious, self-interested duffer. What else should we have expected? – © Mark Alexander