Russia-Ukraine War: Trump Shares NYT Editorial, Slams Putin On Ukraine

Washington: On the first day of the new year, US President Donald Trump shared a New York Post article, signalling his intention to put pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin regarding the ongoing war in Ukraine. 

The editorial described Russia as the biggest obstacle to peace talks in Ukraine and urged Washington not to make any further concessions to Moscow and to adopt a tougher stance against it. This move by the US president is believed to be driven by growing frustration over the stalled peace efforts in Ukraine. 

What did the NYT editorial say?

The New York Post editorial was titled "Putin's 'attack' charade proves Russia is the obstacle to peace." It stated that Russia is "opposing Trump's agenda" worldwide. It further suggested that Russia should not be given "more concessions" and that a "tougher stance" should be adopted.

The editorial stated that Ukraine has done its part to ensure peace with Russia and the onus is now on Putin to take action or face further sanctions. The article also warned that the western countries will continue to supply lethal weapons to Ukraine if Russia fails to show interest in resolving the conflict. 

The editorial went on to add that despite the fact that the Russian economy is stable at present, as the increasing number of body bags and maimed soldiers return to Russia, there will be increased domestic pressure to take concrete steps to stop the war. 

The editorial also pointed out Trump's optimistic assessment of progress towards a peace agreement with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy earlier in the week, contrasting it with the setback following Trump's phone call with Putin on Monday, in which the Russian leader cited an alleged Ukrainian drone attack on one of his residences, saying that Moscow would harden its stance during the negotiations with Ukraine.

Referring to Putin's support for Iran, the editorial stated, "Look beyond Ukraine. Russia has long been a supporter of Iran, and this week it launched three communications satellites for the Islamic regime." 

What is Russia's position?

Amid threats from Trump to bomb Iranian nuclear facilities again, Russia appealed for restraint.

Meanwhile, Russian officials on Thursday accused Ukraine of a drone attack that killed 24 people and injured at least 50 during New Year's celebrations in a Russian-occupied village in Ukraine's Kherson region. This incident comes amid diplomatic peace efforts.

Separately, Zelenskyy said that Russia continued its nearly four-year-old war into the new year by launching more than 200 drones at Ukraine, with these attacks primarily targeting the country's energy infrastructure. He stated that Russia is deliberately waging war on Ukraine.