In a scathing new assessment for Kyiv Post, Bohdan Nahaylo argues that Donald Trump’s handling of the Ukraine war represents a catastrophic failure of American leadership. While the U.S. President portrays himself as a master strategist guiding the world toward peace, Nahaylo contends that Trump is actually “Putin’s greatest asset,” executing a policy of appeasement that sacrifices long-term U.S. security interests for a fleeting and illusory diplomatic win. The analysis suggests that while Ukraine may lose territory, the ultimate loser in the verdict of history will be Trump himself, whose legacy will be defined by the abandonment of democratic values and the dismantling of the post-1945 international order.
Rigging the Game Against the Victim
The core of Nahaylo’s critique is that Trump has fundamentally “rigged the game” in favor of the aggressor. By systematically delaying military aid, publicly undermining President Zelensky, and treating Vladimir Putin’s maximalist demands as reasonable baselines for negotiation, the administration has stripped Kyiv of its leverage. Trump’s insistence that Ukraine “has no cards left” is described not as a geopolitical reality, but as a “deliberate misreading” designed to force a capitulation that fits his political narrative.
This approach ignores Ukraine’s most potent assets:
- International Law: The foundational principle that borders cannot be redrawn by force—a rule that underpins global stability and American prosperity.
- Moral and Military Resilience: The proven determination of the Ukrainian people, who have carried the defensive struggle into Russia itself despite allied restrictions on long-range weaponry.1
The Cost of Abandoning the Rules-Based Order
Nahaylo warns that Trump’s transactional view of alliances is actively dismantling the security architecture that has prevented major power wars for nearly eight decades. By siding with a “despotic and expansionist nation” over a democratic ally, the U.S. is signaling that “might makes right.” This effectively greenlights future aggression by authoritarians globally, creating a world where American interests—which thrive on stability and law—are increasingly vulnerable.2
The “peace” being offered is characterized as “capitulation dressed up in a suit,” reminiscent of the failed appeasement policies of the 1930s. It demands that Ukraine accept the erasure of its identity, the loss of its land, and the impunity of war criminals, all to satisfy the ego of a U.S. president who finds the war “inconvenient.”
A Legacy of Betrayal
The analysis concludes that the consequences of this policy will far outlast the Trump presidency. By treating commitments as “suggestions” and loyalty as a one-way street, Trump has broken faith with America’s allies, shattering the trust that makes U.S. leadership possible.
While Ukraine remains battered but morally unbowed, and Russia is exposed as a “paper tiger” unable to fully subdue a smaller neighbor, Trump is portrayed as the true failure.3 He is depicted not as the dealmaker who brought peace, but as the leader who “failed the most basic test of leadership: standing up for what is right when it costs something.” His inability to see past his own reflection has led him to empower America’s adversaries and sacrifice the very principles that made America great.
Original analysis inspired by Bohdan Nahaylo from Kyiv Post.
