Trump views Putin as dictator-loser, not equal partner

"I inherited this war. This is Joe Biden's, Zelenskyy's, and Putin's war. I found this situation in a state of chaos... I witnessed a brilliant operation. And if such generals had been involved in this war, it wouldn't have lasted long."

This is Trump comparing his own "special Venezuelan operation" with Putin's "special military operation."

"The message is crystal clear: if Putin were as powerful a leader as Trump, and had an army as high-quality as Trump's, he would have defeated this miserable Ukraine in three days, rather than fumbling with it for the fourth year now."

That is, the problem for Trump is not that Putin is a dictator, but that he is a loser-dictator. As a Russian dictator, he deserves his "sphere of influence," but as a loser — only irony from the heights of Capitol Hill.

Therefore, "don't compare yourself to me, but come to me in the role of junior partner, you objectively don't measure up to anything more." This, of course, is a message to Putin.

But this is exactly what Putin will not accept under any circumstances: nothing will suit him except a conversation with the U.S. completely "on equal terms," the way the U.S. and USSR talked during the times of his KGB youth. 

This is why Trump's dialogue with Putin is a dialogue between the blind and the deaf, despite all of Trump's desire to pretend otherwise.

I see no point where their worldviews could meet and at least touch one another.

And this is precisely what determines the probability of a peace agreement between the U.S. and Russia, including regarding Ukraine, and in case of its conclusion — the level of stability of such an agreement.

Source

About the author. Oleksii Panych, philosopher, member of the Ukrainian Center of International PEN Club, blogger.

The editorial board does not always share the opinions expressed by blog authors.