Trump is being 'played for a fool': conservative columnist

President Donald Trump is being "played by a fool" in negotiations over the Russian invasion of Ukraine, conservative columnist Max Boot warned in The Washington Post — and he has no idea how effortlessly he's being used.

Trump has been tough to pin down on the Ukraine war. He has spent much of his political career sympathetic to Russia's Vladimir Putin after his government interfered in the 2016 presidential election, and has frequently suggested Ukraine should give up territory to appease Russian aggression, but has more recently acted aware that Russia isn't interested in peace — yet, Boot wrote, he keeps giving Putin far more chances than he is entitled to.

"President Donald Trump is not known for being patient or forgiving with those who defy his will," wrote Boot. "In just the past few days, he has lashed out at New York Attorney General Letitia James, Bruce Springsteen, Beyoncé and former FBI director James B. Comey — all of whom have incurred his wrath for various reasons. Yet when it comes to dealing with Russian dictator Vladimir Putin — who continues to sabotage Trump’s showcase efforts to end the war in Ukraine — the president seems to have an endless supply of patience, goodwill and understanding."

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Russia has rejected all ceasefire proposals Ukraine has agreed to, making clear they will not stop until the world recognizes their annexation of Ukrainian territory. But despite Trump saying he was "very angry" with Putin sabotaging peace talks, "that was 50 days ago, and there is still no indication of any additional sanctions. Instead, on Monday, the U.S. president had a two-hour phone call with his Russian counterpart that failed to yield any appreciable progress." And Trump's reaction was to brag to the public that “Russia and Ukraine will immediately start negotiations toward a Ceasefire and, more importantly, an END to the War.”

Trump, Boot noted, had repeatedly promised to end the war on his first day in office. Now, "Behind closed doors, the Wall Street Journal reports, Trump is kvetching that ending wars is harder than it seems. (Who knew?)" — but he seems unwilling to show the same anger toward Putin he does to any domestic political critic who annoys him.

"While Trump’s lack of success in peacemaking might not doom Ukraine, it certainly dispels the president’s pretensions to being a world-class dealmaker," Boot concluded. "In the face of Russian intransigence, he keeps violating the prime rule of successful negotiating: You must apply leverage. Putin is playing him for a fool, and Trump doesn’t even seem to realize it."