U.S. President Donald Trump should have long understood that Putin does not want peace and is merely buying time, yet the Kremlin leader has once again managed to restrain him from taking decisive action in support of Ukraine.
German historian and retired general Klaus Wittmann said this in an interview with Ukrinform.
“I have long hoped that Trump would finally realize that Putin is buying time and does not want a possible ceasefire or peace, that he is playing with him and deceiving him – and that Trump would eventually lose patience because of this. Unfortunately, however, Trump’s conclusion seems not to be that he will now provide Ukraine with all the military support it needs, but that he will step aside and instead try to play the role of a neutral mediator rather than a supporter of Ukraine,” the former officer said.
According to Wittmann, Trump “wants to have a normal and above all economically beneficial relationship with Russia again,” and he sees the war against Ukraine primarily as an irritating obstacle.
The expert believes that Russia viewed the possible transfer of Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine as a serious threat, but that this threat “was neutralized by Putin’s phone call even before [Trump’s] conversation with Zelensky.”
Wittmann suggested that Ukraine is unlikely to receive Tomahawks anytime soon. At the same time, he did not rule out that a U.S. decision to supply the missiles could make it easier for Germany to approve the transfer of Taurus missiles to Kyiv. Even the mere decision to begin training Ukrainian soldiers to operate Taurus missiles would already send a strong signal to Russia, the retired Bundeswehr general said.
He stressed that Ukraine needs long-range strike capabilities to disrupt enemy logistics and target command centers, military airfields, launch sites, and industrial facilities – all of which are legitimate military targets under international law.