US to sell defensive weapons to Ukraine

US President Donald Trump said on Monday, “We’re going to send some more weapons. We have to. They have to be able to defend themselves. They’re getting hit very hard now. We’re going to have to send more weapons, defensive weapons, primarily.”

That is quite a big change in Trump’s position on Ukraine. Ever since he began his second term as president, his position has been quite ambivalent towards Ukraine. First came his clash with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the televised press conference in White House in February this year.

His primary aim when he took over as president was to end the Russia-Ukraine war, and he was pressuring Zelensky to talk with Russian President Vladimir Putin. When Zelensky was reluctant saying that one cannot trust Putin, Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance exploded. Zelensky did not step back and that was an irritant for Trump.

But nearly six months later, and with Russia having stepped up its military attacks on Ukraine, Trump seems to feel that he needs to support Ukraine militarily. He understands perhaps that if Ukraine were to lose the war, then he would have no role to play as mediator, and make his claim for the Nobel Peace Prize.

The emphasis on defensive arms for Ukraine is curious. It implies that Trump would not want a Russian defeat. For some strange reason, he has a sneaking sympathy for Russia and he naturally wants to support Putin who he treats as friend. While the other NATO members are firmly opposed to Russia and support Ukraine on ideological and strategic reasons, Trump thinks of European balance of power differently.

He does not believe in ideological divide. He has no concept of democracy and liberalism pitted against communism and totalitarian states. He has a unilateral view of the world, and that is the American view of the world. Trump’s support for Ukraine also hinges on the mineral deal he has forced upon Ukraine. America needs rare earth elements in Ukraine for its AI and semi-conductor industry. He wants some kind of economic control over Ukraine.

He has shown irritation with his friend Putin for not agreeing to a peace deal with Ukraine. Putin wants the peace deal on Russia’s own terms, something that Zelensky had made clear was not acceptable to Ukraine. So, peace talks are not happening between Russia and Ukraine. And there is no sign of peace though Ukraine is anxious for a deal of some sort. But Zelensky does not want a peace deal which is a capitulation of Ukraine.

Trump still advertises himself as a peacemaker. He has ordered the bombing of Iran’s nuclear facilities because he said Israel did not have the capacity to destroy Iran’s nuclear programme. It is of course not clear how much of Iran’s ability to enrich Ukraine has been damaged. Experts suggest that Iran’s nuclear programme might have been pushed back by around two years, and that Iran can rebuild its nuclear capacity.

Now Trump says that Iran is willing to talk to America because of the “bad drubbing” they have got. These are unilateral statements on the part of Trump. Iran has been resolute that it would not talk to America under threats and under pressure. That leaves a huge gap between what Trump says and the situation on the ground.

Similarly, Trump had been claiming that he had mediated peace between India and Pakistan and ended the four-day clash between the two nuclear-weapon states, but India has consistently rejected Trump’s claims as a mediator. He is not deterred by India’s denial of his role in the ceasefire.