Diplomatic Ultimatum
President Donald Trump’s two-week ultimatum to Russian President Vladimir Putin over Ukraine marks a dramatic ~ and risky ~ turn in US foreign policy. By signaling that the United States may change its approach if Moscow continues to delay peace efforts, President Trump is attempting to reassert leverage in a conflict that has defied resolution for years. But the question remains: does the US still have meaningful leverage left, or has the window for shaping a just peace already narrowed too far?
Mr Trump’s blunt rhetoric ~ accusing Mr Putin of “playing with fire” and warning of a shift in response ~ reflects mounting frustration as the war has entered its fourth year with no clear end in sight. His recent phone diplomacy with the Russian President yielded vague promises of a peace memorandum, yet no document has emerged. Instead, what followed was one of the most intense waves of Russian airstrikes since the invasion began, with........
© The Statesman
