Trump is a master of negotiations. His tactics are clever, sharp and sometimes hard-hitting, surprising and stunning.
For example, on Friday, Trump administration dropped bombshells on both Ukraine and Russia. The reason- There has been no significant progress in the peace talks. Putin last month rejected a proposal that called for immediate ceasefire in a frank call with Trump. Russia has also been pounding Ukraine ruthlessly. There have been attacks on energy infrastructure on both sides, which continue to threaten the fragile partial ceasefire reached last month.
Trump, who promised to end the war in Ukraine on day 1 of his administration, is now understandably pissed off. In a recent interview, he said he would impose secondary tariffs on Russian oil if the deal is not reached.
Now Trump has upped the ante even further. His administration has dropped warnings on both sides.
Marco Rubio delivered a stern message to Putin. He said President Trump would not be “trapped” by endless talks with Moscow over the ongoing war.
Rubio said, “We will know soon enough, in a matter of weeks, not months, whether Russia is serious about peace or not.” It was a message that USA’s patience is running thin. Moscow must show its willingness to pursue peace otherwise consequences will follow.
The same day, Ukraine too received a warning that sent a shockwave through Kyiv.
On Friday, some Ukrainians living legally in the US got a scary email. The message came from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). It said their legal status had been taken away and they had to leave the country.
No one knows exactly how many people got the email. But it caused fear and panic among Ukrainians who had escaped the war with Russia. Many of them are already worried because Donald Trump said last month he might take away their legal protection.
However, they got a quick relief when a Trump official later said this was an error.
Right now, the US has not canceled the special protection given to about 240,000 Ukrainians. This program was started by President Joe Biden. DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin confirmed that the status is still active.
However, the Trump team has been talking about ending this program. If that happens, hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians might be forced to leave the US.
Friday’s message could be taken as a warning.
Many of Ukrainians are already expecting Trump to take this move. Trump wants to cancel several programs that gave temporary legal status to people from countries in crisis. Altogether, about 2 million people were helped by these programs under Biden.
Trump has already ended legal protections for around 530,000 people from Venezuela, Cuba, and Haiti. Last month, he said he was also thinking about ending the program for Ukrainians. These people had come to the US after war broke out in Ukraine.
Trump told reporters, “We’re not trying to hurt anyone. I’m still thinking about what to do. Some people think we should end it, some don’t. I’ll decide soon.”
The DHS has not said if a final decision has been made or when any real notices will go out.
Right after Trump became president again, he told DHS to stop all group-based parole programs. He also put a pause on “Uniting for Ukraine,” which is the program that let Ukrainians come to the U.S. He stopped new entries and said people already here could not renew their work permits or stay past the two-year limit.
These developments show that despite the setbacks, Trump is determined to pursue peace efforts and deploy his pressure tactics. His will to bring an end to wars around the world remains strong despite attacks by opposition, media and the liberal world order. Trump is not just making American great again, he is also making the world a much more peaceful place to live in.
