Donald Trump bet big on Vladimir Putin — and now that bet is blowing up in his face. He claimed he could end the war in Ukraine in 24 hours. That’s not happening — and now, he’s stuck.
Putin is ignoring him. Ukraine’s not backing down. And Trump’s own party is running out of patience.
Trump promised MAGA voters he’d stop the war without sending more U.S. aid. But Putin isn’t playing along, and the war is escalating. Russia has stepped up brutal missile and drone attacks on Ukrainian cities in recent days, showing complete disregard for Trump’s calls for a ceasefire. It’s a direct slap to Trump’s claim that he could control the situation.
At the same time, Trump has consistently taken a hard line against continued U.S. military support to Ukraine. He’s blamed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for a war started by Russia, and in a February Oval Office meeting, he and Vice President J.D. Vance blasted Zelensky for what they called a lack of gratitude for American aid.
Now, Trump is stuck. He’s rejected more U.S. aid to Ukraine, Russia is ignoring him, and alienated both sides — while Republicans grow increasingly frustrated.
Trump’s in a bind: he’s trashed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, resisted military aid, and cozied up to Vladimir Putin. But now, even he admits things are spinning out of control.
“I’m not happy with what Putin’s doing,” Trump told reporters on Sunday. “He’s killing a lot of people. And I don’t know what the hell happened to Putin.”
The president doubled down later that day on Truth Social: “He has gone absolutely CRAZY!”
Trump also warned: “What Vladimir Putin doesn’t realize is that if it weren’t for me, lots of really bad things would have already happened to Russia, and I mean REALLY BAD. He’s playing with fire!”
But no one — not even his allies — can figure out what he actually plans to do about it.
He floated the idea of new sanctions. But he also lashed out again at Zelensky, saying the Ukrainian president “was doing his Country no favors” and “everything out of his mouth causes problems.”
It’s whiplash. Trump’s trying to sound tough on Putin while still blaming Ukraine — and it’s leaving Republicans frustrated and confused.
Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) called him out. He said Trump was wrong to believe his relationship with Putin could end the war. “Sanctions for Putin like no fed grants for Harvard,” Grassley posted Tuesday, urging Trump to act as aggressively against Moscow as he does in his domestic political fights.
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), usually a Trump ally, was clear: “To end any war, you must have willing partners. As of yet, Putin is not willing.”
Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.) went even further. “Peace talks are having zero effect on Putin,” he said Sunday. “We must arm Ukraine to the teeth, sanction Russia to the max, & confiscate the $300B in overseas Russian assets.”
But Trump boxed himself in. He’s repeatedly said he won’t continue large-scale U.S. military aid to Ukraine. That leaves him with two unworkable options:
Push a ceasefire that would likely force Ukraine to give up land and abandon hopes of joining NATO; or walk away entirely, letting Russia continue its invasion unchecked.
Neither option looks good — especially not for a president who wants to be seen as strong on the world stage.
Last month, Trump said peace must come “quickly” or the U.S. will “just take a pass.” But if America backs off, Russia wins. Ukraine loses. And Trump looks weak.
He’s now trapped by his own words. Republicans are losing patience. Putin isn’t listening. And Trump — for all his bluster — doesn’t seem to have a plan.
