Trump’s Peace Is Far Away

864

June 4, 2025

Published in Der Standard
(Austria) on 25 May 2025
by Manuel Escher (link to original link to original)

Translated from by Peter Carioca. Edited by Michelle Bisson.

A week after the phone conversation with Vladimir Putin, which the U.S. president would have liked to see as historic, there have been the largest air strikes in a long time.

How quickly the mood can change. Only a week ago, Ukraine and its European allies were still looking forward to the phone conversation between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin with a certain amount of hope. After all, Trump had indicated that his patience with the man in the Kremlin was running out.

But now we know better: Trump's patience with Putin is great. But his patience regarding working toward an end to the war continues to wane. Trump has long been busy with other things, including the trade war, which he is waging with particular vigor against his European allies.

The Ukrainian-Russian agreements, which were reached amid hectic commentary from the U.S., were only enough for a prisoner exchange. This is very pleasing for the 1,000 soldiers and their families, but for Kyiv and Moscow, more importantly, it doesn't come with grave costs. Russia's demands for a cease-fire with Kyiv are expected to be reached soon. But it is considered impossible that Ukraine will find them acceptable. In the meantime, the worst air strikes in a long time are underway.

The hope that Moscow could be encouraged to enter serious negotiations in the foreseeable future, without a large amount of pressure from the U.S., is fading away.

Trump'scher Friede weit weg

Eine Woche nach dem Telefonat mit Wladimir Putin, das der US-Präsident gern als historisch gesehen hätte, gibt es die größten Luftangriffe seit langem

So schnell kann die Stimmung umschlagen. Vor einer Woche noch hatten sich die Ukraine und die europäischen Verbündeten dazu hinreißen lassen, dem Telefonat zwischen US-Präsident Donald Trump und Russlands Staatschef Wladimir Putin mit einer gewissen Hoffnung entgegenzublicken. Immerhin hatte Trump erkennen lassen, dass auch seine Geduld mit dem Mann im Kreml zu Ende gehe.

Mittlerweile weiß man es wieder besser: Trumps Geduld mit Putin ist groß. Jene, sich um ein Ende des Krieges zu kümmern, schwindet hingegen immer weiter. Trump ist längst mit anderem beschäftigt, darunter dem Handelskrieg, den er mit besonderer Verve just gegen die Verbündeten in Europa führt.

Gereicht haben die ukrainisch-russischen Vereinbarungen, die zuvor unter hektischer Kommentierung aus den USA zustande gekommen waren, nur für einen Gefangenenaustausch. Dieser ist sehr erfreulich für die je 1000 Soldaten und ihre Angehörigen, für Kyjiw und Moskau aber ist er vor allem auch nicht mit gravierenden Kosten verbunden. Bald wird mit einem Eintreffen der russischen Forderungen einer Waffenruhe an Kyjiw gerechnet. Dass sie für die Ukraine annehmbar sein werden, gilt als ausgeschlossen. Einstweilen laufen die schlimmsten Luftangriffe seit langer Zeit.

Die Hoffnung, dass Moskau ohne größeren Druck aus den USA in absehbarer Zeit zu ernstgemeinten Verhandlungen ermuntert werden könnte – sie ist verflogen.

This post appeared on the front page as a direct link to the original article with the above link .

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