Trump, Putin, and Ukraine: democracy on trial

Without intervention, this year could spell the end of the international rule of law, when ‘might makes right’ becomes the basis of the world order.

United States President Donald Trump, left, and Russian President Vladimir Putin. A Trump-Putin agreement on a ‘might makes right’ doctrine of international engagement is now painfully clear, writes Senator Stan Kutcher.White House photograph by Shealah Craighead

Opinion

BY ISG SENATOR STANLEY KUTCHER

January 19, 2026

UPDATED January 23, 2026

As the diplomatic mess that characterizes attempts to end Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war against Ukraine—confounded by the ally-ship between the Russian dictator and United States President Donald Trump—continues, the opening line of the novel 1984 by ...

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