Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin are about to make decisions that could radically alter the trajectory of human history. When they meet in Alaska on Friday, the stakes will be incredibly high. If they are able to agree to some sort of a deal, the world will rejoice. But if the meeting goes badly, there will be immense pressure on western leaders to militarily intervene in Ukraine in order to prevent Russia from taking as much territory as it wants. At the moment, Russian forces are moving forward quite rapidly. If negotiations can stop them, western leaders will be thrilled. But if talks fail, the conflict in Ukraine will dramatically escalate, and that will put us dangerously close to nuclear war.
On Wednesday, President Trump was asked about what will happen if the Russians do not agree to end the war. President Trump responded by warning that there will be “very severe consequences”… US President Donald Trump promised “very severe consequences” on Russia if its President Vladimir Putin doesn’t agree to end his war in Ukraine during the two leaders’ meeting on Friday.
“There will be consequences,” Trump just said during an event at the Kennedy Center in Washington. Asked if that meant new sanctions or tariffs, Trump demurred. “I don’t have to say,” he said, adding only: “There will be very severe consequences.”As I have stated over and over again, threatening the Russians will not work.
If Trump insists on making threats, it will backfire severely. The Russians have already said that they are willing to end the war, but they want certain things in return. Of course what the Russians have proposed is not acceptable to the Ukrainians or to our European allies at all, and that is not likely to change any time soon. A virtual conference that included Trump and leaders from all over Europe was held on Wednesday, and President Trump felt that it went very well… (Read More)