Russia’s latest mass missile strike on residential blocks in Kyiv, leaving dozens dead and injured, is being seen as a consequence of the erratic and inconsistent policy of US President Donald Trump, whose contradictory approach is effectively emboldening Vladimir Putin’s barbarity.
The US President has failed to coordinate with other Western leaders and continues to treat Putin as a credible partner with whom peace can be achieved. Yet, the Kremlin strongman is unmoved by peace initiatives. From the outset, whether in talks in Alaska or at the G7 meeting at the White House, Putin dismissed Trump’s idea of a bilateral meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, even when Trump floated the prospect of a trilateral summit including himself.
Kremlin Dictates, Ukraine Resists
For Putin, war is not about compromise but coercion. The Kremlin insists on having its terms met at the negotiating table, demanding that Ukraine concede on paper what Moscow’s aggression failed to achieve since February 2022. This is not dialogue, critics say, but blackmail and a call for surrender.
Yet the reality remains: Russia cannot win this war. Having failed in the opening phase of its full-scale invasion, Moscow’s aggression can still sow destruction and atrocities, but Ukraine has cemented its status as an independent European state through extraordinary sacrifice. This is the largest invasion of a European nation since the Second World War, and Ukraine has resisted with determination against a ruthless neighbour that kills and destroys but cannot prevail.
Russia’s Mounting Costs
Meanwhile, Russia is paying a staggering price. More than one million soldiers are dead or wounded, and its economy is on the brink of collapse. Analysts warn that a new round of Western sanctions could trigger long-term decline, plunging the country into years of economic decay.
A Defining Choice for the West
The democratic world now faces a stark choice: either the US and Europe tolerate the blackmail of a brutal dictator, or they confront barbarity with courage. Ukraine continues to demonstrate daily that it is strong and unyielding. What remains is for the international community to show full solidarity and act decisively to halt Russia’s war in Europe.