Trump s Ukraine Moment – WSJ

An interesting moment has arrived in the Ukraine war. Putin is not yet desperate says a headline in Foreign Affairs magazine, over an article by a well-informed former employee of Russia s central bank. Of course, Vladimir Putin wouldn t wait until he s desperate. The time to negotiate is when you think your hand is strong, not weak and getting weaker.

Meanwhile, longtime Ukraine supporters and frequent decriers of Donald Trump are starting to encounter cognitive dissonance of their own. Mr. Trump s tweets have clearly begun sizing up Mr. Putin for a pressure campaign over a war Mr. Trump says is destroying Russia. Trump critics murmur that his claims of millions and millions killed are wildly out of line. They do so quietly because Mr. Trump s megaphone is the biggest and even his critics realize his exaggerations usefully reach the ears of Mr. Putin s constituents.

From analysts I respect come widely discordant takes. Formerly cynical and self-preserving, Mr. Putin now is driven by sweeping historical and ideological motives. China s embrace is not grudging or expedient. Beijing will take sizeable risks to advance Mr. Putin s anti-NATO goals.

via www.wsj.com

Holman W. Jenkins, Jr.