Recently, Vladimir Putin attempted to intervene in the Iran crisis by offering to help Donald Trump negotiate with Tehran. Trump abruptly rebuked the Russian strongman, he claimed, by telling him, “Do me a favor,mediate your own. Let’s mediate Russia first, okay?”
That was the first public indication that Trump had lost patience with the carrot approach to ending Russia’s war on Ukraine. Today, Trump has decided to apply more of the stick, according to the Wall Street Journal:
President Trump said Monday the U.S. would resume providing Ukraine with arms to help it withstand Russian attacks after months of trying without success to draw Moscow into negotiations on ending the war.
“We have to, they have to be able to defend themselves,” Trump said of aiding Kyiv during a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. “They are getting hit very hard. Now they are getting hit very hard. We’re gonna have to send more weapons.”
His comments were the strongest indication so far that Trump has come around to the idea of strengthening Kyiv’s defenses less than a week after it was disclosed that the Pentagon was withholding a shipment of arms earmarked for Ukraine.
Trump expressed considerable frustration over what he called “the Biden-created monster” war, adding “I’m not happy with President Putin at all.” Trump has gradually made that clearer the last several weeks, and has softened his stance toward Volodymyr Zelensky at the same time. Trump assured Zelensky that the halt in arms deliveries was a misunderstanding that he would rectify immediately, even as Putin offered praise for the interruption:
Trump’s call with Putin came after Washington halted a weapons shipment to Kyiv, a move that Putin praised, forcing Zelensky to consider different arms sales avenues.
However, Trump reportedly told Zelensky during their call that he is not responsible for the weapons shipment pause and vowed to send more arms and aid to Kyiv amid the ongoing Russian incursion.
Trump claimed that the Pentagon got out over its skis on arms deliveries after Trump and Hegseth ordered a review of US inventory on critical-need armaments. He told reporters that the Ukrainians “have to be able to defend themselves”:
Trump announces U-turn on Ukraine arms: “They have to defend themselves.”
President Trump said Monday the U.S. would resume weapons shipments to Ukraine, ending a brief pause that sparked backlash.
“We’re gonna send some more weapons… They have to be able to defend themselves,” pic.twitter.com/awRggSoDEU— Orbital News (@orbital_news_) July 8, 2025
Hmmm. That does appear to be quite a turnaround for Trump, who largely seemed to blame Ukraine and Joe Biden for the war until recently. What happened? Trump may have finally realized that Putin’s not interested in peace as much as he is interested in pieces, as in pieces of Ukraine, pieces of Georgia, pieces of Moldova, pieces of the Baltic States, and so on. Putin is a flat-out Russian imperialist and sees conquest as a legitimate means to his particular ends. In the past six months, Trump has given Putin every opportunity to settle the issue, even on largely favorable terms, and Putin simply has no interest in doing so.
Hence, Trump’s triumph at NATO in getting much more investment in common defense matters greatly now. So too do renewed arms transfers to Ukraine. Trump is signaling that his patience is not unlimited, a signal that the recent strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities makes even stronger.
Zelensky has also made some changes in his strategy and tactics. After his disastrous White House visit in February, Zelensky has adopted a more subtle approach with Trump and the US more generally. He has also apparently decided to remove Ukraine’s ambassador, who has reportedly been more of a problem than a solution in DC:
Ukraine’s ambassador to the U.S. has been informed by President Volodymyr Zelensky that she is to be dismissed, a source in the President’s Office confirmed to the Kyiv Independent on July 8.
Oksana Markarova has held the post since April 2021, and played a central role in coordinating U.S. military and financial support during the early phases of Russia’s full-scale invasion. …
According to the source, the topic of replacing her was raised by Kyiv, suggesting the move could be “useful for both sides.” The source added that there are multiple “strong candidates” in the running.
Jim Geraghty also senses a change in the air:
We’re a long way from that Oval Office dressing-down of Zelensky alongside Vice President Vance, now, aren’t we? Everything can change in a New York minute, particularly with a New York mogul.
President Trump is bombing the Iranian nuclear facilities, bombing the Houthis and restoring freedom of the seas, getting NATO to dramatically increase defense spending . . . honestly, this guy is terrific — the best neocon president we’ve had in ages. That’s only about 35 percent tongue-in-cheek; President Trump is feeling his oats and sending an explicitly clear message to hostile foreign regimes, rogue states, and terrorist groups around the world. Second-term Trump doesn’t have any time or patience for your nonsense. Perhaps over the preceding four years, you saw U.S. forces leaving Afghanistan in chaos and got used to a doddering octogenarian muttering, “don’t . . . don’t . . .” as a warning.
Since January 20, the world has indeed grown more unpredictable and dangerous . . . for a lot of America’s enemies.
Trump wants to be a man of peace, but of actual peace, not appeasement and capitulation that only postpones and intensifies conflict down the road. Putin certainly hasn’t responded to positive incentives, and so Trump is left with little choice but to ramp up the pressure instead. Will he continue to take a tougher line with Putin? That’s not where he’d like to be, but Putin may not offer him any other choices.
Also, the latest episode of The Ed Morrissey Show podcast is now up! Today’s show features:
- Was the decision to challenge Donald Trump to an early debate a secret head-fake, or some sort of bluff?
- Andrew Malcolm and I address the Worst Political Memo of 2024, and what it says about the Biden ‘brain trust.’
- We also discuss our expectations of accountability for that scandal as well as the recent exposure of John Brennan’s perjury before Congress.
- And when will Democrats stand for anything more coherent than Trump Derangement Syndrome?
The Ed Morrissey Show is now a fully downloadable and streamable show at Spotify, Apple Podcasts, the TEMS Podcast YouTube channel, and on Rumble and our own in-house portal at the #TEMS page!
