TRUMP’S DIPLOMATIC LIMITS: FROM GAZA SUCCESS TO UKRAINE STALEMATE

US President Donald Trump achieved a significant diplomatic breakthrough with the ceasefire and hostage agreement he signed in Gaza, yet he is struggling to repeat this success in the Ukraine War. The indefinite postponement of the planned Budapest Summit between the Russian and US leaders shows once again that Washington’s influence over Moscow is limited and that Trump’s efforts to bring peace to Ukraine have reached an impasse.

The agreement in Gaza was made possible by Trump’s influence over Israel, his strong economic ties with Arab countries, and his political clout in the region. However, he does not have this kind of diplomatic influence in the Ukraine War. Although Trump has tried different methods, from threatening sanctions against Putin to pressuring Zelensky, neither side is willing to compromise. Meanwhile, Putin is using Trump’s desire for a “face-to-face deal” to his advantage. Trump eventually had to step back from his claim that he could end the Ukraine War “within hours” and admit that resolving the conflict is far more difficult than he anticipated.

For Trump, achieving a Gaza-like success in Ukraine appears much riskier and more complex. The political and economic tools he used effectively in Gaza are not available to him in the Russia-Ukraine War. The influence he exercised through personal relationships with Israel and the Arab world does not work the same way with Putin. At the same time, Russia’s strength on the battlefield and Ukraine’s dependence on Western support leave little room for compromise, increasing the possibility that both Moscow and Kyiv may view Trump as a “biased” or “unreliable” mediator.

A misstep in a possible negotiation process with Putin could trigger reactions from European allies, disrupt unity within NATO, and damage the global reputation of the United States. Economically, Trump’s threats toward the Russian energy sector carry the risk of destabilizing global markets, while reducing military support to Ukraine could shift the regional balance of power in Russia’s favor. Trump’s desire for quick results and his tendency to reduce diplomatic processes to personal bargaining make it even harder to achieve lasting peace.

All these factors make the Ukraine War a highly risky and challenging issue for Trump in both foreign and domestic policy.

In conclusion, Trump’s inconsistent approach to the Ukraine case exposes the limits of a personal diplomacy-based foreign policy and once again shows that resolving this conflict requires not only strong leadership but also a lasting international consensus.

References:

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cx2y9je4d3go