Trump will Meet with Putin: Strong Prayer for a Weak President

Donald Trump is scheduled to have a summit meeting tomorrow with Russian “president” Vladimir Putin to discuss ways to end the war in Ukraine. Although I applaud Trump for meeting with the Russian leader, I do not hold out much hope for this summit. Ending a needless war that has killed thousands of people (both soldiers and innocent civilians) is a noble, valiant goal. But to be totally truthful, Trump is in a weak position before a formidable foe. Trump himself has lowered the expectations for their meeting. He now calls it a “listening” event which might lead to a second more important meeting. In spite of being the president of the most powerful country in the world, and in spite of all his bravado and bullying, Trump is quite weak. Here’s the evidence:

Trump’s irrational praise of Putin – over the last decade, Trump has praised authoritarian rulers all over the world, both present and past (China’s Xi, Hitler, etc.) Trump has been quite lavish in his admiration for Putin. In his book “Time to Get Tough,” Trump wrote, “Putin has big plans for Russia. He wants to edge out its neighbors so that Russia can dominate oil supplies to all of Europe. Putin has also announced his grand vision: the creation of a ‘Eurasian Union’ made up of former Soviet nations that can dominate the region. I respect Putin.” Yet in his more thoughtful moments, Trump has recognized that Putin has “played” him.
Trump’s weakness with the Truth – I do not intend any cheap criticism of the president, but he has had a troubled relationship with the truth. Just two weeks ago, he didn’t like the job report of the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Instead of admitting responsibility for his failed economic policies, Trump fired the BLS director. He claimed he won the 2024 election in a landslide. In fact, he received less than 50% of the vote. These are just two examples of how the president invents a false reality instead of dealing with the real world. I believe, as Jesus said, “You shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free”. If Jesus was right, then Trump’s preference for untruths means he is neither very free nor powerful.
Trump’s exaggerated estimation of his own abilities – The president campaigned on ending the war in Ukraine on “Day 1” of his presidency. That did not happen. He also claimed he would bring inflation down below zero percent. He was wrong. The July inflation report that was issued this past Tuesday shows the annual core inflation rate moved up to 3.1%. Realism and maturity demand that we all have a sober estimate of our own abilities. Trump is weaker than he thinks.
Trump’s approval rate is underwater. Most major polls place his approval ratings between 37% and 44% with his disapproval ratings much higher. He is down even on his stronger issues, like immigration and the economy. His weakest areas refer to his handling of the Epstein files, his policies regarding tariffs, and the “Big, Beautiful Bill” tax legislation.
Trump’s concessions to Putin do not bode well for the summit. Trump has already conceded everything but the kitchen sink which greatly harms Ukraine. Most democracies in the world consider Putin to be the guilty invader of its neighbor Ukraine. Putin is a pariah and is prohibited from even visiting their countries. Nevertheless, Trump is elevating Putin on the international stage, by granting him a summit on U.S. soil. They will be talking about Ukraine’s future, yet Ukraine’s president Zelensky was not even invited to participate. Trump has announced a “swapping” of territory (readers beware: Ukraine would give up land to Russia, not vice-versa). Ukraine would not be able to join NATO…and on and on and on. Later, if Zelensky does not accept these concessions, he is the “problem”, not Putin.

Given these varied weaknesses, many Americans believe it would take a miracle for the summit to be successful. True peacemaking needs divine intervention and this includes “strong” prayer. The emphasis is on the word “strong”, not the questionable religiosity of the phrase “God bless America” that many politicians use to close their political speeches. No, strong prayer does not ask God to bless our fallen plans and actions. Strong prayer can happen because the All-Powerful, All-Wise God invites fallen people to humble themselves and become active participants in making human history through their prayers and their actions. The Apostle Paul encouraged fellow believers to pray for all persons, especially for kings and those in authority so that people could live in peace. (I Timothy 2:1-3).

There is a certain amount of mystery regarding prayer. Does it depend on God? Yes, of course it does. Does it depend on those who pray? Yes, to some extent. Does it depend on those who are prayed for? Yes. Somehow their human wills need to become aligned with God’s will being done on earth as it is done in heaven. Humility is essential. People need to humble themselves in a variety of ways.

People who don’t agree with Trump need to humble themselves and to pray for a leader they perceive as wrong.
People who do agree with Trump also need to humble themselves and to pray that their president repent of his arrogance and especially his political sins that harm the world.
Trump needs to humble himself and to ask God to show him ways to become a better peacemaker and wisdom and courage to promote a just peace.
Putin needs to humble himself and to repent of his invasion of Ukraine and the thousands of human deaths he has caused.

Readers:

If you consider yourself a person of faith, pray and live out your faith with love, justice and grace.
If you do not see yourself as a person of faith, may you live your life according to your highest ideals.
If any of the information I mentioned is inaccurate, let me know.

I Applaud President Trump for (Finally) Waking Up and Seeing the Evil of Putin

During his first term, Donald Trump and Russian “President” Vladimir Putin had a relationship of mutual praise. Trump admired Putin for being a “strong leader”. Trump justified Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, by asserting that Biden’s weakness had, in effect, “invited” Putin to invade. Trump lamented the loss of life in the war in Ukraine and campaigned that he would end the war on “Day One” by bringing Putin to negotiations. Regarding Putin, Trump affirmed five months ago, “I believe he wants peace, I mean, I know him very well. Yeah, I think he wants peace.… I trust him on this subject.”

Even though Trump’s envoys favored Russia in the preliminary peace talks and Trump humiliated Ukraine’s President Zelensky in their White House meeting, Putin didn’t cooperate in good faith. Although Putin said he wanted peace, what he really wanted was to take over control of all of Ukraine. In an unguarded moment, Trump admitted he was getting “played” by Putin. Something significantly changed a few weeks ago. Trump started to wake up. He began to see Putin for who he really was: a murdering tyrant and an aggressor. In a press conference, Trump was asked a question by a female reporter. Noting her accent, he asked her where she was from. She replied, “Ukraine”. She added that her husband was still in their home country. Remarkably, Trump seemed to show sincere empathy for her situation. He began to perceive the tragic reality about Putin that many saw a decade ago. Did Marco Rubio whisper the truth into his ear? Maybe.

After days of expressing anger with his latest phone call with Putin, Trump erupted at a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday. He said, “We get a lot of bullsh*t thrown at us by Putin, if you want to know the truth. He’s very nice all of the time, but it turns out to be meaningless.” There’s a bill going through the Senate that would apply economic sanctions on Russia that has the overwhelming support of Republicans and Democrats. The president seems to like the bill as long as it doesn’t tie his hands.

Where should we put the emphasis? That Trump woke up to the truth regarding the evil of Putin OR that it took him so long to wake up? I am just glad that he seems to be awake now. Perhaps we are a bit closer to peace in Ukraine. PS. On Monday, Trump will give a major address on Russia.

The War in Ukraine: A Bit of Hope, but is Trump Getting “Played” by Putin?

Yesterday, U.S. President Trump and Russian “President” Putin had a lengthy (roughly two hours) phone conversation with the goal of ending the war in Ukraine. I do not fault Trump with reaching out to an authoritarian world leader who is guilty of war crimes (according to the International Criminal Court). I do raise concerns about Russia taking advantage of Trump’s lack of leverage in these negotiations. These conversations already have a history, including Trump’s meeting with Ukrainian President Zelensky in the White House and talks between Russian and U.S. envoys. In these preliminaries, Trump has made several unnecessary and unhelpful concessions to Putin:

Trump falsely accused Zelensky of starting the war and Trump defended Putin against charges of being the aggressor (in the UN vote)
Trump affirmed that Russia would be awarded some land in eastern Ukraine
Ukraine would not be allowed to join NATO

By giving up these concessions up front, the United States has lost its leverage in these talks.

The Good News: Yesterday, Putin agreed to a 30-day limited cease-fire in which Russia would stop strikes on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure as long as Ukraine did the same. Putin also agreed to a significant prisoner exchange for later this month.

The Bad News: Putin did NOT agree to a complete 30-day cease-fire. To advance the negotiations, the U.S. cannot provide additional military assistance or intelligence information to Ukraine. Ukraine cannot send more troops to the front. These and other demands are totally unacceptable to Ukraine (and to our European allies).

The Results: Putin gives the impression that he is open and eager to end the war. In fact, he is stalling. Every day the war continues, Russia takes more territory. Trump’s peace initiatives will not be successful, because Putin is not acting in good faith. It sure looks like Trump, the author of “The Art of the Deal”, is getting “played” by Putin.

What can Trump do? He must regain leverage over Putin. He should impose new financial sanctions on Russia. These sanctions can be used as “bargaining chips” which can later be withdrawn if Putin removes his unreasonable demands.

The War in Ukraine: A Bit of Hope, but is Trump Getting “Played” by Putin?

Trump falsely accused Zelensky of starting the war and Trump defended Putin against charges of being the aggressor (by siding with Russian, North Korea, etc. in the UN vote)
Trump affirmed that Russia would be awarded some land in eastern Ukraine
Ukraine would not be allowed to join NATO

By giving these concessions up front, the United States has lost its leverage in these talks.

Trump’s Plan to End the War in Ukraine: Concessions and Non-negotiables

On the campaign trail, Trump promised that he would end the war in Ukraine BEFORE he took office on January 20. Of course, no sane person believed that promise and of course, Trump did not fulfill his pledge. Nevertheless, Trump does deserve some credit for attempting to end the war. Last night, Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff met with Russian “president” Putin in a preliminary meeting to suggest a temporary ceasefire. It is in everyone’s interest (Ukraine, Russia, United States, Europe) for this war to end and a “just peace” to emerge in which both Ukraine and Russia are in agreement with the terms.

This will not be easy. A poll came out overnight in which 59% of Americans believe that a just peace is unlikely or very doubtful. Both countries have non-negotiables and both sides will have to make significant concessions. Here are the most important issues.

Territory integrity – I believe Ukraine is right in demanding territory integrity, that is, the boundaries be the same as prior to the war: Russian occupied lands in eastern Ukraine should be returned. Although Ukraine would also like Crimea to be returned, this wish list item might need to be sacrificed. One option is for the United Nations to study and vote on the status of Crimea some time in the intermediate future.

Membership in NATO – Ukraine wants to join NATO for its future security. Of course, Russia does not want an additional large, NATO member as its next-door neighbor for its own security reasons. Although desiring to join NATO is a legitimate goal, I would be willing to see this deferred for 5-10 years in order for a peace agreement to take place.

Putin’s Responsibility – It is obviously clear to sane people that Putin started this war. He was the aggressor. His reckless invasion has caused the deaths of many thousands of Ukrainian and Russian soldiers and civilians. Justice requires that Putin make some financial remuneration for the deaths that he caused and for the rebuilding of Ukraine. It is doubtful that Putin would admit any guilt. Tyrants seldom acknowledge any mistakes. (Trump knows this all too well.) My suggestion is that Europe and the United States magnanimously and jointly offer to pay for much of the rebuilding of Ukraine. This would be a more economical option than continuing to finance an unnecessary war.

Trump has chosen a difficult challenge: Bringing about a just peace. I hope he can achieve the “art of the deal”.

Our Response to the Invasion of Ukraine

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is unjustified and evil. Putin is unleashing immense pain upon the Ukrainian people, upon his own Russian citizens, and has placed the entire world order in great danger. If nothing is done to stop the Russian advance, the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv will probably fall in the next couple of days. Putin ominously warned that if other countries attempted to stop the invasion, they would pay a “terrible price”, hinting at the use of nuclear weapons. Many European countries and the United States have begun to implement “severe economic sanctions” with the goal of forcing Putin to submit to acceptable international norms, but Russia’s immense oil and natural gas reserves give Putin great leverage with Europe. There are many key players who could take significant steps to reduce the pain, but they involve risk and cost. Here are some current options.

The United Nations should be the international police, yet it has structural weaknesses. The most obvious is that the five permanent members of the Security Council which includes Russia, have the power of the veto. By using this veto power, any one of these permanent members can thwart the wishes of the overwhelming majority of nations in the world. On Friday, the United Nations condemned the “brutal” invasion. Russia immediately vetoed that resolution. To complicate matters, this month it is Russia’s turn to preside the UN sessions. If the United Nations wants to be relevant in the future, it must get rid of this ridiculous veto power which has been so terribly abused.

NATO was formed to protect member nations. Its guiding principle was that an attack against any of the NATO countries would be considered as an attack against all the nations. “One for all and all for one.” The problem is that although Ukraine is friendly with NATO, it is not a member. Neither the United States nor any other member country is willing to send its own troops into Ukraine. It has been suggested that NATO declare Ukrainian airspace as a “no-fly zone” and prohibit Russia from dropping aerial bombs. It is possible that this would escalate the conflict into an all-out war, but it would probably save thousands of innocent civilians from bombing deaths. If Putin is not stopped now, other non-NATO nations in the region (like Moldova) would be easy targets for Russia’s expansion. Even NATO members (like Poland and the Baltic states) are vulnerable.

The United States and several European countries have imposed economic sanctions on Russia, first in an attempt to deter Putin, and now with the goal of punishing his immoral actions. Some of these sanctions are significant, but they are too little and too late. They might influence Putin to come to the bargaining table in a few weeks, but, in the meantime, many Ukrainians will perish. As of today, these government leaders have stopped short of really punishing Russia. For example, sanctions could be imposed that would prohibit Russia from participating in the international banking system (SWIFT). This would lead to a scarcity of oil and natural gas in Europe and would cause prices to skyrocket. Are Europeans and North Americans willing to pay higher prices to stop an immoral invasion and the thousands of deaths it would cause?

Many Russians are showing through their protests that they do not agree with Putin’s invasion. They have taken to the streets and hundreds have been jailed. I admire their courage. I hope that there are thousands of Russian soldiers who recognize that this is not a justified war. They should refuse to kill because there is a higher authority than Putin. It might cause them to be demoted, imprisoned, or even put to death, but those that believe in Just War Theory have the moral imperative to disobey an unjust military order.

Many Ukrainians have already demonstrated their bravery. It is likely that President Zelensky will pay the ultimate sacrifice for his love of his people. Many are fleeing from the war and taking their families to Poland, Moldova, or other neighboring countries. We who are far from the conflict should do all that we can to open doors for these refugees. These are desperate times and call for great courage and action.