Putin’s gulling of Trump a historic setback for Ukraine and the world’s democracies

The Aug. 15 meeting gave Russia the green light to continue its invasion without worrying too much about Washington intervening in a major way on Ukraine’s behalf.

It’s clear that U.S. President Donald Trump, right, has decided that it’s up to somebody else to confront Russian President Vladimir Putin’s obsession with wiping out Ukraine and other in eastern Europe, writes Les Whittington. White House photograph by Daniel Torok

Opinion

BY LES WHITTINGTON

September 3, 2025

OTTAWA—The role of the United States as a leading world power veered toward historic meaninglessness in a single moment last month when President Donald Trump applauded Russia’s Vladimir Putin as the latter stepped off an airplane for their meeting in Alaska.

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