Time for Trump to confront Putin
by Steven Moore · The Washington TimesOPINION:
At the United Nations on Sept. 22, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called Russian President Vladimir Putin “patient zero,” the source of war and instability around the world. He warned that Russia would not end its war against Ukraine without pressure.
Moscow responded to Mr. Zelenskyy’s assertion from the sky. In the days since his comments, Russia has fired nearly 4,000 drones, glide bombs and missiles at Ukraine.
On Saturday and Sunday, drones struck near a kindergarten and a playground in Kyiv. On Monday, a guided bomb tore through an apartment block in Kharkiv, wounding six children, and a midday drone strike in Kyiv set Ukraine’s National Academy of Sciences on fire.
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That is the backdrop for the peace talks. If presidential son-in-law and U.S. envoy Jared Kushner is approaching the Ukraine peace negotiations like a “win-win” business deal, he is not negotiating with Ukraine’s sole decision-maker.
Mr. Zelenskyy must sell any peace deal to nearly 40 million Ukrainians who have suffered greatly, including about 1 million Ukrainians who serve in the largest, most battle-hardened military in Europe. What is a “win” for them?
I live in Kyiv. I talk to Ukrainians every day. Last week, I walked with my friend Andrii around his Kyiv neighborhood, where Russian drones struck three apartment buildings and two gas stations this summer.
The Russians chased Andrii out of Donetsk, the largest city in the Donbas region, in 2014 when Mr. Putin’s fighters came to “liberate” the Russian-speaking part of Ukraine. Andrii misses his home city. He talks about it a lot. A Donetsk symbol is tattooed on his forearm.
“Nobody in Ukraine gives a s—- about Donbas,” Andrii said. “The place is ruined. Putin bombed everything. Everyone who could move out of there did. We would give it up in a second if we thought Putin would stop.”
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This is a win for Ukrainians.
Mr. Kushner has said that if Ukraine withdraws from Donbas, “we have the rest of the deal set up and put together.” Still, nobody has seen President Trump do anything to make Mr. Putin stop launching drones and missiles into neighborhoods where Andrii’s children play.
In his second term, Mr. Trump has had 15 calls and one meeting with Mr. Putin. After each of those events, Mr. Putin has launched airstrikes on Ukraine.
Mr. Trump described his first call with Mr. Putin on Feb. 12, 2025, as “highly productive.” According to Ukrainian air force reports, Mr. Putin launched 140 drones into Ukraine that night.
After his June 14, 2026, call, Mr. Trump said, “I think he does feel pressure. He wants to end it.” Mr. Putin launched 611 drones and 70 missiles after the call.
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“President Putin wants it to end. I will tell you that — very strongly,” Mr. Trump said about the July 4, 2026, call.
Russia launched 125 drones and four missiles into Ukraine.
The experience of the peace talks for the Ukrainian people is that every time Mr. Trump talks with Mr. Putin about peace, they get hit by a few hundred drones and missiles.
Mr. Putin’s duplicity is not news to Ukrainians. According to Ukrainian defense records, he has entered into 40 ceasefires and peace agreements with Ukraine. He is in violation of 39. The one he arguably upheld was the September ceasefire, when Mr. Kushner arrived.
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Mr. Putin wants Donbas because the territory he has not taken in 12 years of trying is well-fortified and key to defending any future military operation against Ukraine. As evidenced by his calls with Mr. Trump, Mr. Putin’s primary goal in the peace talks is to advance his military objectives.
Ukrainians need guarantees that Mr. Putin’s forces will stop attacking Ukraine, or they will keep fighting. The choice, as they see it, is to keep Donbas and get pounded by drones and missiles or give up Donbas and get pounded by drones and missiles.
Mr. Trump says in “The Art of the Deal,” “Much as it pays to emphasize the positive, there are times when the only choice is confrontation.” At those times, Mr. Trump says his philosophy is to fight back hard.
Perhaps Mr. Trump and Mr. Kushner need to revisit that section.
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• Steven Moore, founder of the Ukraine Freedom Project, has been in Ukraine since Day 5 of the war to provide nonlethal aid to Ukrainian drone units and other humanitarian support.