Ukraine risks becoming to Trump what Afghanistan was to Biden
Yet there are similarities for President
Donald Trump
: resolving the conflict is proving no easy task, and he risks getting shackled with responsibility — and potentially blame — the longer it goes on.
Explore courses from Top Institutes in
Select a Course Category
Public Policy
others
Data Science
Operations Management
Technology
Design Thinking
Cybersecurity
Management
Product Management
Leadership
healthcare
PGDM
Data Analytics
Project Management
Healthcare
Finance
MCA
Degree
Digital Marketing
Artificial Intelligence
Data Science
Others
MBA
CXO
Skills you'll gain:
Duration:
12 Months
IIM Calcutta
Executive Programme in Public Policy and Management
Starts on
undefined
Get Details
Skills you'll gain:
Economics for Public Policy Making
Quantitative Techniques
Public & Project Finance
Law, Health & Urban Development Policy
Duration:
12 Months
IIM Kozhikode
Professional Certificate Programme in Public Policy Management
Starts on
Mar 3, 2024
Get Details
That's a feeling that has gained more credence as Trump wrestles with how to respond to President Vladimir Putin as he's stepped up deadly strikes against Ukraine. Trump has been foiled in his pledge to make peace quickly, forcing him to decide whether to get more involved or keep his distance.
Getting sucked into the conflict more deeply would provoke the ire of Trump's Make America Great Again base. But allowing Russia to make steady gains, while holding off on additional aid, might make him look weak and draw accusations that he didn't do enough to stop Putin.
'Trump's been in charge of US policy for almost six months and the war continues, and now it's on Trump,' said John Herbst, a former US ambassador to Ukraine, who's now with the Atlantic Council. 'He understands that he could get nailed big time if Putin wins on his watch.'
Live Events
The Afghanistan comparison may seem far-fetched given the fundamentally different nature of the two conflicts. At its high point, the US had 100,000 troops in Afghanistan and nearly 2,500 American military personnel died over the course of the 20-year war. Ultimately the US was unable to stop the Taliban and President
Joe Biden
got blamed for a US withdrawal — one that Trump laid the groundwork for in his first term.
The US has no troops on the ground in Ukraine, limiting itself to the flow of weapons and materiel. The conflict is in its fourth year and few analysts predict a massive collapse of the Ukrainian government or say Russia would be able to take over the whole country.
Even so, Trump has strenuously sought to distance himself from it, repeatedly saying the war never would have happened on his watch and suggesting he's not responsible for the outcome.
'It wasn't my war — it was Biden's war,' he said at a meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte earlier this month. 'It's not my war. I'm trying to get you out of it.'
The Afghanistan comparison has slowly filtered into the conversation. Months before Trump won reelection in November, Washington Post columnist Marc Thiessen, a senior fellow at the right-leaning American Enterprise Institute, warned Republicans about the dangers of blocking more aid to Ukraine.
'For Republicans, a time for choosing has arrived: Unless you want to be blamed for the fall of Kyiv the way Biden is blamed for the fall of Kabul, send military aid to Ukraine,' he wrote.
Almost a year later, this past February, Council on Foreign Relations President Michael Froman made the point just as sharply, warning that a hasty deal would be a 'grave error' that would also undercut Trump's desire to be seen as a peacemaker.
'If you thought the optics of the Taliban parading American Humvees through Kabul looked bad, imagine the Russians driving a convoy of Abrams tanks through Kharkiv,' Froman wrote.
Read More: Ukraine Proposes Russia Meeting, Kremlin Hedges on Putin-Trump
Last week, Trump announced a plan to get billions of dollars of US weapons to Kyiv, reversing an earlier pause in supplies, and gave Putin 50 days to agree to a ceasefire or face new sanctions — something allies have been urging for months.
'President Trump wants to stop the killing, which is why he is selling American-made weapons to NATO members and threatening Putin with biting tariffs and sanctions if he does not agree to a ceasefire,' White House spokesperson Anna Kelly said.
The challenge for Trump is that some of his most die-hard MAGA supporters, including ally Steve Bannon, argue exactly the opposite — that deeper US involvement will be Trump's undoing.
'If President Trump sells them offensive weapons that can strike deep inside of Russia, I don't see how you avoid it becoming Trump's war,' Bannon said in an interview. 'The media, the Ukrainians, the Russians and the Neocons would all say it's Trump's war.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Mint
29 minutes ago
- Mint
Trump hints at 20–25% tariffs on Indian imports, says final decision still pending
US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday (July 29) that India could face tariff rates as high as 25% on its exports to the United States, but emphasised that a final decision had not yet been made. The remarks come as the two countries work toward resolving longstanding trade disagreements. 'I think so,' Trump responded when asked by reporters aboard Air Force One if the US would impose a 20–25% tariff rate on Indian goods. 'India has been a good friend, but India has charged basically more tariffs than almost any other country. You just can't do that.' Trump added. The US President made the comments while returning from a five-day trip to Scotland, reiterating his stance that the US must be treated fairly in global trade relationships. The reciprocal tariffs were imposed on April 2, 2025 and were supposed to take effect from July 9, 2025. However, the deadline for the imposition of the import duties was later extended to August 1, 2025. The US has so far reached agreements with the UK, Indonesia, Philippines, European Union and Japan. Citing two Indian government sources, Reuters reported that New Delhi is preparing for the possibility of higher tariffs—likely between 20% and 25%—on select exports as a temporary measure. Instead of offering fresh concessions, India plans to resume comprehensive trade talks in mid-August during the visit of a US delegation. 'Talks are progressing well, and a delegation is expected in Delhi by mid-August,' Reuters quoted one India official as saying, with the news report adding that the US may still issue a tariff letter in a 'worst-case scenario.' US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer echoed the need for further talks during an interview with CNBC, saying, 'We continue to speak with our Indian counterparts, we've always had very constructive discussions with them.' However, he admitted more work is needed: 'We need some more negotiations on that with our Indian friends to see how ambitious they want to be.' 'The thing to understand with India is their trade policy for a very long time has been premised on strongly protecting their domestic market. That's just how they do business,' he noted. 'The president is in a mode of wanting deals that substantially open other markets,' Greer added. 'That they open everything or near everything.'
India.com
29 minutes ago
- India.com
‘No Recognition For Israel Until...': Saudi Crown Prince Drops a Bombshell, Abraham Accord Dream Shattered
New York: Saudi Arabia stands tall and speaks in firm tones. Its foreign minister Faisal bin Farhan speaks from New York. Israel hears. The United States hears. Normalisation talks with Israel stay paused. Conditions laid bare. A Palestinian state. A ceasefire in Gaza. No room for shortcuts. No room for deals without justice. Agreement called Abraham Accords hinges on trust. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) signed. Bahrain signed. Morocco followed. Now Saudi Arabia holds the line. No recognition of Israel until Palestinian state clarity. Israel faces resistance. Donald Trump's push for more Gulf nations to sign stalls. Saudi Arabia sets terms. The message echoes across diplomacy channels. The Israeli military strikes Gaza hard. Thirty‑four Palestinians killed in recent attacks. Local hospitals report aid site near deaths. Aid distribution zones hit. Injuries reported. Aid deliveries resume for limited hours. Brief ceasefire windows appear. Humanitarian corridors open. Still, lives lost. Still, fear spreads. Meanwhile, Trump meets U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer in Scotland. Discussion turns to Gaza. Trump reacts to Netanyahu's assertion that there is no famine in the strip. Trump disagrees. Gaza hunger looks real. Civilians lean on aid. Food access tightens. Neighbouring states step in. Jordan and the UAE send relief flights to Gaza. Saudi Arabia draws a clear line. Palestine recognition. End of Gaza war. No normalisation until justice. No hidden clauses. Pure conditions. Straight talk.
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
'If US fails to accept...': North Korea's warning to Trump over denuclearisation; bilateral talks still on table
Kim Yo Jong, sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un (Image: AP) North Korea issued a warning to Washington, insisting that any attempt by President Donald Trump's second administration to revive stalled denuclearisation talks would be 'nothing but a mockery. ' In a statement broadcast by North Korean state media, Kim Yo Jong—the sister of leader Kim Jong Un—made it clear that while personal ties between Trump and Kim remain 'not bad,' Pyongyang now sees discussions about its growing nuclear arsenal as firmly off the table, reported Fox News. She noted that North Korea's nuclear arsenal has grown significantly since the last meeting between the two leaders and said another summit would not happen if denuclearisation remained on the agenda. "If the US fails to accept the changed reality and persists in the failed past, the DPRK- US meeting will remain as a 'hope' of the US side," Kim Yo Jong said, referring to her country by its official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. 'It would be advisable to seek another way of contact,' she added as quoted by Fox News. She left the door open for dialogue with the US, unlike in a separate statement where she ruled out talks with South Korea. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like The Family Took a Photo on Vacation - and Goose Bumps Ran Down the Skin! Undo Trump met with Kim Jong Un three times during his first term: In Singapore in 2018, in Hanoi in 2019, and at the Korean Demilitarized Zone later that year, becoming the first sitting US president to step foot on North Korean soil. Despite the historic meetings, no agreements were reached, North Korea kept its nuclear weapons, and US sanctions remained in place. Kim Yo Jong is a top official on the central committee of North Korea's ruling Workers' Party and oversees relations with both the US and South Korea. Her comments followed a Yonhap news agency report citing an unnamed White House official who said Trump "remains open to engaging with Leader Kim to achieve a fully denuclearised North Korea." White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said last month that Trump hopes to see 'progress' in his second term on the summits he held with Kim. In a separate statement on Monday marking the 72nd anniversary of the end of the Korean War, Trump said, 'I was proud to become the first sitting President to cross this demilitarized zone into North Korea.' He also reaffirmed the US alliance with South Korea, saying, 'Although the evils of communism still persist in Asia, American and South Korean forces remain united in an ironclad alliance to this day.'
