Putin’s Phony Parade Passes without Incident Thanks to Trump
Ukraine’s last-minute agreement to the United States-mediated truce denied it a well-deserved, complete victory in the propaganda war. Trump had remained unmoved by Russia’s attacks on civilians in the preceding days.
Once again, it was Donald Trump who came to Vladimir Putin's aid in his hour of need. Nothing was going to interfere with the Russian dictator’s ability to exploit the commemoration of Soviet victory over Nazi Germany in Red Square for his own propaganda purposes, courtesy of a decisive intervention by the U.S. president.
It was well known that Ukraine, which had come under brutal attack from Putin’s military in recent days, despite Kyiv proposing a ceasefire, was threatening to disrupt the event. Beforehand, there was speculation that Kyiv might launch drones in the direction of Moscow as a show of strength on this most revered of Russian national holidays. There were also some doubts as to whether Russia’s increasingly dilapidated air defense systems could have done anything to counter this threat.
So, when Trump ordered a suspension of hostilities on Friday evening, he effectively saved Putin from potentially suffering a loss of face, just in the nick of time. Conversely, Trump’s intervention was not good news for Ukraine, which has grown more assertive of late. While the U.S. president had let brutal Russian attacks causing dozens of Ukrainian civilian causalities pass without comment, he put the brakes on Kyiv at precisely the moment when things were getting precarious for Putin’s parade.
Successfully Spooked
It is only right and proper that Volodymyr Zelenskyy ultimately acceded to Trump’s capricious demand. In any case, the Ukrainian president could hardly have afforded to stage a drone strike on Moscow. And it is still unclear whether he was even planning such an attack in the first place. So, who ultimately won the propaganda war that raged for days over this highly symbolic May 9 event?
From his perspective, Zelenskyy certainly made the best of the situation’s “twisted logic” by magnanimously granting “permission” for Putin’s parade to go ahead. The mere fact that Ukraine apparently succeeded in spooking Moscow for long enough — to the point where Putin begged Trump for help — is, in itself, a coup for Kyiv.
Russia, for its part, however, can now successfully claim within its own circles that Zelenskyy was ultimately still susceptible to intimidation when threatened with a massive air strike on Kyiv, as if the Kremlin needed any justification to commit war crimes. At the same time, Trump never passes up an opportunity to be hailed as the great peacemaker. Whether or not Russia adheres to the ceasefire, after the curtain has fallen on Putin’s show, is unlikely to concern him.
Once again, it was Donald Trump who came to Vladimir Putin's aid in his hour of need. Nothing was going to interfere with the Russian dictator’s ability to exploit the commemoration of Soviet victory over Nazi Germany in Red Square for his own propaganda purposes, courtesy of a decisive intervention by the U.S. president.
It was well known that Ukraine, which had come under brutal attack from Putin’s military in recent days, despite Kyiv proposing a ceasefire, was threatening to disrupt the event. Beforehand, there was speculation that Kyiv might launch drones in the direction of Moscow as a show of strength on this most revered of Russian national holidays. There were also some doubts as to whether Russia’s increasingly dilapidated air defense systems could have done anything to counter this threat.
So, when Trump ordered a suspension of hostilities on Friday evening, he effectively saved Putin from potentially suffering a loss of face, just in the nick of time. Conversely, Trump’s intervention was not good news for Ukraine, which has grown more assertive of late. While the U.S. president had let brutal Russian attacks causing dozens of Ukrainian civilian causalities pass without comment, he put the brakes on Kyiv at precisely the moment when things were getting precarious for Putin’s parade.
Successfully Spooked
It is only right and proper that Volodymyr Zelenskyy ultimately acceded to Trump’s capricious demand. In any case, the Ukrainian president could hardly have afforded to stage a drone strike on Moscow. And it is still unclear whether he was even planning such an attack in the first place. So, who ultimately won the propaganda war that raged for days over this highly symbolic May 9 event?
From his perspective, Zelenskyy certainly made the best of the situation’s “twisted logic” by magnanimously granting “permission” for Putin’s parade to go ahead. The mere fact that Ukraine apparently succeeded in spooking Moscow for long enough — to the point where Putin begged Trump for help — is, in itself, a coup for Kyiv.
Russia, for its part, however, can now successfully claim within its own circles that Zelenskyy was ultimately still susceptible to intimidation when threatened with a massive air strike on Kyiv, as if the Kremlin needed any justification to commit war crimes. At the same time, Trump never passes up an opportunity to be hailed as the great peacemaker. Whether or not Russia adheres to the ceasefire, after the curtain has fallen on Putin’s show, is unlikely to concern him.
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