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Trump and Putin’s close friendship poses the threat of U.S. prioritization of Russian interests over domestic concerns.
Throughout his years in power, President Donald Trump has attempted to appear in good relations with President Vladimir Putin of Russia. For the past few decades, the United States has had a rocky relationship with Russia initially due to the opposing interests of the Soviet Union and the U.S. and, now, the expansionist tendencies of Putin.
While maintaining calm relations between the two nations was wise during Trump’s first term, following Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, a U.S. ally, Trump will have to abandon his appeasement strategies in favor of a tougher stance to protect U.S. interests in Eastern Europe and a close ally of the U.S.
Even with Putin threatening a close U.S. ally, Trump has yet to take any real action to pressure Putin to agree to a ceasefire with Ukraine. On March 30, Trump threatened Putin with a 50% trade tariff if he refused to reach a ceasefire with Ukraine; however, there has still been no ceasefire deal, and Trump has yet to enact this tariff. While Trump has had no trouble enacting tariffs on other nations, his reluctance to do so on Russia indicates his close relationship with Putin.
While Trump’s existing tariffs are unwise, his inability to execute on his threats to protect Ukraine and restore peace to the region threatens the security of U.S. interests in the area and indicates a risk of the conflict with Ukraine erupting into a world war. The best course of action for the Trump administration is to act on its threats instead of allowing Putin to target the U.S. and Ukraine without any consequences.
Trump has built a relationship with Putin due to their similar personalities, and, as such, Trump prioritizes their friendship over acting in the best interests of the U.S. During Biden’s presidency, a primary goal of the U.S. was to help protect Ukraine, but Trump’s pre-existing friendship with Putin puts Biden’s Ukrainian aid initiatives at risk.
Trump has shown in his past few months in office that he is willing to neglect a country’s prior status as an ally of the United States by entering into trade wars with allies and appeasing dictators such as Putin. Trump cares more about maintaining his friendships than he does about protecting U.S. interests in international spheres and preventing another world war. Trump’s placation of Putin also sets an example for how he will treat other countries such as China and North Korea. These countries may perceive Putin’s influence over Trump and subsequently attempt to exert similar power over the U.S. Overall, Trump’s lack of consistent policies and his affinity for dictators will ultimately harm the country by undermining U.S. allies and contributing to instability in U.S. international relations.