Jonathan Lemire criticized Steve Witkoff for saluting Putin just before a missile attack on Ukraine, reflecting concerns over U.S. diplomacy. The attack killed 34 and injured 117, intensifying scrutiny on how Trump managed relations with Russia. Richard Haass noted that Trump’s tariffs were the only pressure applied against Russia, yet it failed to deter Putin. Lemire argued that such diplomatic gestures only emboldened Putin, suggesting the U.S. is giving Russia a free pass while forcing sacrifice upon Ukraine. This poses questions about the effectiveness of current U.S. strategies toward Russia amid escalating violence in Ukraine.
No direct tariffs on Russia, though we should add. And we should make clear some of those killed in that Ukrainian city were on their way to church service when the missiles landed.
Putin is playing them, stringing them along, running for time because he wants to continue this bombardment. The Trump administration's approach to diplomacy with Russia meant that Putin was playing them to give himself more time.
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