From talk to tactics: Trump pivots on Russia strategy to end war

President Donald Trump s approach with Russian President Vladimir Putin pivoted drastically this month when for the first time since returning to the White House he not only validated his advocacy for Ukraine in a NATO arms agreement but issued an ultimatum to the Kremlin chief The warning came in a clear message Enter into a peace deal with Ukraine or face stiff international sanctions on its top commodity oil sales While the move has been championed by certain it has been questioned by others who debate whether it will be enough to deter Putin s war ambitions in Ukraine One precaution expert is arguing the plan will work but it might take years to be effective NATO CHIEF PRAISES TRUMP'S WEAPONS SALES TO ALLIES AS 'SIGNIFICANT' MOVE THAT COULD FORCE PUTIN TO NEGOTIATE I think it will be effective and he's going to stick to that strategy He's going to continue to push Putin to return to the bargaining table and negotiate in good faith not come to the bargaining table make promises that the Russians don't plan on keeping Fred Fleitz who served as a deputy assistant to Trump and chief of staff of the National Protection Council during the president s first term informed Fox News Digital That's something Trump's not going to tolerate Fleitz added We will see this is just the first six months of the Trump presidency This may take a couple of years to solve But Trump campaigned on ending the wars in Ukraine and Gaza which has proven to be more complicated than he suggested from the campaign trail And not everyone in the Republican Party has backed his approach when it comes to Europe including a staunch Trump supporter Rep Marjorie Taylor Greene We do not want to give or sell weapons to Ukraine or be involved in any foreign wars or continue the never-ending flow of foreign aid Greene reported on X We want to solve our own problems plaguing our own people Fleitz pointed to Trump s decision to directly strike Iran and argued it reflected Trump s ability to be nimble as a leader He looked at the intelligence and realized it was getting too close and he decided to adjust his approach which was first diplomacy Fleitz stated But Trump also specified something very key He stated to his supporters 'I came up with a concept of the America-first approach to U S national safety and I decide what's in it Fleitz added He has ownership of this approach and he will adjust if necessary TRUMP SAYS US WILL SEND PATRIOT MISSILES TO UKRAINE ADDS THAT PUTIN 'TALKS NICE AND THEN HE BOMBS EVERYBODY'Though Trump had made clear from the campaign trail that he needed to see Europe take a leading role in the war in Ukraine last week he countered a major talking point from specific within his party including Vice President JD Vance Vance has argued against arming Ukraine and announced in an op-ed last year It is not just a matter of dollars Fundamentally we lack the ceiling to manufacture the amount of weapons Ukraine demands us to supply to win the war Trump agreed to sell NATO nations top U S arms that will then be supplied to Ukraine We want to defend our country But ultimately having a strong Europe is a very good thing Trump declared sitting alongside NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte Defense experts have largely argued that the future of Ukraine s negotiating ability and ultimately the end of the war will play out on the battlefield On Thursday John Hardie deputy director of FDD s Russia Activity narrated U S lawmakers on the Helsinki Commission also known as the Commission on Precaution and Cooperation in Europe in a defense briefing that Ukraine demands to be supplied with long-range strike capabilities that can hit key Russian missile and drone plants 'TRUMP HAS CHANGED THE GAME' NATO ENTERS BRAVE NEW ERA UNDER PRESSURE FROM US RUSSIA Ukraine shouldn t be restricted merely to shooting down arrows Hardie noted An optimal approach will combine both offense and defense Ukraine requirements to be able to hit the archer and the factories that make the arrows ' Putin will continue his unprovoked war so long as he believes it s sustainable and offers a pathway to achieving his goals Hardie argued By shoring up Ukraine s defense of its skies and enabling Ukraine to inflict growing costs on Russia s war machine as well as pressuring the Russian business activity and exhausting Russia s offensive foreseen on the ground we may be able to change that calculus But Fleitz who serves as vice chair of the America First Procedures Institute's Center for American Prevention declared he believes this war will only be brought to an end when an armistice agreement is secured I think there's presumably going to be an armistice where both sides will agree to suspend the fighting Fleitz explained Someday we will find a line where both nations will agree to stop fighting Ultimately he believes this will happen by Ukraine agreeing not to join NATO for a certain period of time though with Moscow s understanding that Kyiv will be heavily armed by Western allies I think there's a way to do this where Russia wouldn't be concerned about growing Western European influence in Ukraine and Ukraine would not be worried that Russia will invade once a ceasefire or armistice is declared he added Maybe this is a pipe dream but I think that's the most of realistic way to stop the fighting We know from history conflicts like this take time peacemaking takes time Fleitz mentioned I think that over time Trump is going to have an effect on Putin