Trump 'Seriously Considering' Lifting All Biden-Era Restrictions on Ukraine's War Effort, Sources Say
By: Alex Raufoglu (Kyiv Post)
Why doesn't this gradual escalation serve to validate Vladimir Putin's warnings that an alliance between Ukraine and NATO/Europe is a clear and imminent danger to Russia? Vladimir Putin has been deliberately attempting to provoke retaliation from Ukraine for his own political benefit inside Russia. Every time Ukraine escalates, Putin is validated. Hardline Russians are rallying around Putin; making Putin stronger rather than weaker. Ukraine striking deeper into Russia only validates Putin and politically strengthens Putin inside Russia. Taking the war to Russia allows Putin to fight longer.
It is to Putin's advantage that Ukraine become a destroyed puppet state to the United States. An independent but decimated Ukraine would be a strategic win for Putin. The United States and Europe would bear the burden of propping up the Ukrainian economy and rebuilding the country. And Russia could still play on the internal divisions inside Ukraine to reignite the Ukrainian civil war.
It is impossible for the United States to achieve anything meaningful in Ukraine. Even defeating Russia and removing Putin would create a power vacuum that would destabilize Asia and the Middle East. The United States could open a can of worms that could bankrupt the United States.
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
WASHINGTON DC - The United States has not yet lifted all Joe Biden-era restrictions on Ukraine's warfighting, but President Donald Trump is "seriously considering" to do so, two senior Western officials told Kyiv Post's Washington correspondent on Monday, May 25.
"All the previously imposed restrictions - whether already eased or not - are currently under the review as President [Trump] believes that the current status-quo does not serve our common interests of bringing Russia to the [negotiation] table," one official said without offering further details.
Earlier on Monday, Germany's Chancellor Friedrich Merz said there were no longer any range restrictions on weapons supplied to Ukraine by its Western allies, meaning that Kyiv could defend itself by attacking military positions inside Russia. The Kremlin called it "a dangerous move."
Merz's comments came after a third night of massive Russian drone and missile attacks across Ukraine.
Trump on Sunday criticized Putin noting on social media that the Kremlin leader "has gone absolutely crazy... needlessly killing a lot of people." The Kremlin in response claimed Trump was showing signs of "emotional overload."
French president Emmanuel Macron said however that he hopes Trump's anger at Putin "will translate into action."
Merz Announces Joint Long-Range Weapons Development With Kyiv
Berlin hasn't publicly sent long-range weapons to Ukraine, despite the German chancellor's remarks Monday that Kyiv has been cleared to hit targets inside Russia using weapons received from the West.
One Western official told Kyiv Post Monday night that Trump's final decision on punishing Russia, as well as the next phase of Ukraine support, will be discussed during meetings with German officials in Washington, D.C. this week.
According to the source, German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul is planning to visit the US capital in the coming days.
On Monday, Wadephul told German news program Tagesschau that Putin "doesn't want peace, he wants to continue the war, and we cannot allow him to do that."
A further set of sanctions, Wadephul said, were already being prepared by European partners. "There will be reaction from the West, and I think also from the United States of America," Wadephul concluded.
It remains unclear whether Wadephul is planning to build on Merz's announcement of Ukraine's long-range capability during his meetings with Trump officials this week, but military analysts such as Jorge Rivero, a Washington-based Russia-Ukraine specialist, are already discussing potential benefits of the move.
Speaking to Kyiv Post, Rivero said that the possible relaxation of Western-imposed restrictions on Ukraine's employment of long-range weaponry represents a shift in the operational and strategic landscape of the war.
"The relaxation of restrictions could allow Kyiv to target military installations within Russian territory, including airbases responsible for launching Geran-2 drones and strategic bombers that have conducted sustained strikes against Ukrainian cities," he said.
"This policy shift could further authorize Ukrainian forces to engage Russian command and control nodes, as well as logistical arteries deep inside Russia, with precision-guided munitions," he added.
Previously, Western limitations on the use of advanced weaponry had effectively shielded critical Russian military infrastructure and supply chains from Ukrainian interdiction.
"Removing these constraints could alter that tactic, enabling Ukraine to disrupt the logistical and operational frameworks sustaining Russia's war effort," Rivero said.
"This development will likely complicate Russian operational planning and threaten the continuity of supply lines that have sustained Moscow's campaign since 2022."
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Convincing the Russian people that Vladimir Putin was right all along doesn't seem like a winning strategy.
Zoot alorz! The opening comment zoundz like the zeeder haz channeled Tim the Toolman and zouped-up the blender.
Trump, JD Vance, and Mike Johnson should all resign and leave this to President Marco Rubio to figure out. He used to know what he was doing, and maybe if the other three are out of the way he can figure it all out again.
The Trump administration has this so fucked up so badly it will take a miracle to straighten out.