Lately, one question keeps resurfacing: is President Donald Trump losing patience with Vladimir Putin? The reason behind this speculation was Trump’s unexpected criticism of the Russian leader following heavy bombardments of Ukraine. But, as often happens with Trump, his harsh words are quickly overshadowed by a familiar pattern — he is, above all, looking out for himself.
Memorial Day, Ego, and “I Have Everything!”
On the last Monday of May, the United States observes Memorial Day, a national holiday commemorating fallen soldiers. Traditionally, presidents visit Arlington National Cemetery on this day. Trump followed the tradition, laying a wreath and delivering a speech — one that, predictably, focused more on himself than the dead:
“Look what I’ve got. I have everything!” he declared.
Even before the ceremony, Trump launched into an online tirade on his platform Truth Social. He hurled insults at his political opponents, calling them “SCUM,” and delivered a rare, aggressive condemnation of Putin:
“Something’s happened to him… He’s absolutely GONE CRAZY!”
The unexpected attack sparked debate in Washington: what does it mean? Has Trump changed his stance on the Kremlin? Or is this just another media stunt?
Putin — an Enemy or Just Another Opportunity for Self-Promotion?
At first glance, Trump appeared to take a harsh tone. He wrote:
“He is killing a lot of people unnecessarily. I’ve always said he wants ALL of Ukraine, not just a part.”
He even warned melodramatically that such ambition could lead to “Russia’s demise.” It almost sounded like a revelation — as if Trump were finally realizing what the rest of the world already knows.
However, as Der Spiegel notes, anyone who has followed Trump for a while knows that altruism isn’t part of his playbook. His public statements and political moves nearly always serve one purpose: personal benefit. In this case, a potential end to the war in Ukraine could be spun as his victory — an achievement he might try to parlay into a Nobel Peace Prize.
The Kremlin’s reaction? Amusement. Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov mocked Trump, suggesting he was suffering from “emotional overload.”
Words Without Consequences
What stands out is that Trump’s harsh language has not translated into action. No mention of sanctions or economic pressure. No promises of new security aid for Ukraine. This creates what The New York Times called a “strategic vacuum,” one that emboldens Putin — and reveals a deeper political void in Trump’s leadership.
“At this point, I don’t pay attention to what President Trump says — I look at what he does,” former U.S. ambassador to the OSCE Michael Carpenter told CNN. “He hasn’t offered Ukraine new security support, and he hasn’t done anything to pressure Russia.”
Shifting Blame
Trump also used his criticism of Putin to take a swipe at Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky:
“Every time he opens his mouth, there’s a problem. I don’t like it, and it better stop.”
He then distanced himself entirely from the conflict:
“This is Zelensky’s, Putin’s and Biden’s war — not ‘Trump’s war.’”
Is this strategic ambiguity? A smokescreen to confuse the public? Or simply the ramblings of a 78-year-old who struggles to finish a coherent thought?
No one really knows who advises Trump these days. In early May, he fired his national security advisor Mike Waltz in the wake of the Signal chat scandal and merged the post with that of Secretary of State, assigning it to Senator Marco Rubio — a move that drastically reduced the power of the National Security Council.
“Always Good at Pretending”
Trump has long cultivated the image of a master negotiator. His bestselling book The Art of the Deal — ghostwritten, of course — was filled with bravado and empty slogans. That hasn’t changed. If anything, Trump’s political vocabulary has only shrunk.
Though he once claimed he could end the war in Ukraine “within 24 hours,” he later walked that back, saying it was meant “a little sarcastically” — a typical Trumpian excuse when promises fall flat.
As Der Spiegel observes, his actions speak louder than his capital-letter tweets. He talks of “progress” in Ukraine, yet consistently signals support for the Kremlin’s position.
In his first phone call with Putin after the invasion, Trump left Zelensky out of the conversation entirely and appeared to endorse Russia’s territorial claims. He blamed Zelensky for the war, labeled him a “dictator,” and demanded new elections in Ukraine — echoing Putin’s own demands.
When Zelensky objected to these one-sided terms, Trump accused him of sabotaging negotiations with “provocative statements.” After new attacks from Russia, Trump posted “VLADIMIR, STOP!” — only to immediately pivot and criticize Zelensky again.
He announced ceasefires, then watched as Russia violated them. He shouted into the void of social media, and then boarded his golf cart.
“Trump just wants this off his back,” explained political scientist Ian Bremmer of the Eurasia Group to The New York Times. “That’s why Ukraine is losing importance for many Americans. And that’s likely to mean more fighting.”
Not Even a Bluff
“Trump is not the negotiator he believes himself to be,” writes public intellectual Robert Kagan in The Atlantic.
To pull off what Kagan calls a “diplomatically delayed Ukrainian capitulation,” Trump would have needed to at least bluff — to make it seem like he might help Ukraine. Instead, he did the opposite, and now must twist himself into rhetorical knots to hide the fact that his inaction benefits Putin.
Even Trump’s recent “criticism” of Putin can be read as a strategic distortion. His relaxed schedule reveals how seriously he actually takes the matter: after his visit to Arlington, he was immediately flown to one of his golf courses.
“I’m going back to negotiate with Russia,” he joked during a graduation speech at West Point.
Donald Trump continues to play a political game where every move is designed to benefit himself. His “tough talk” on Putin is more smokescreen than substance — an attempt to maintain plausible deniability while letting the Kremlin continue its aggression unchallenged.
As Der Spiegel puts it, Trump is “playing into Putin’s hands” — and doing so with disturbing consistency.
This article was prepared based on materials published by Der Spiegel. The author does not claim authorship of the original text but presents their interpretation of the content for informational purposes.
The original article can be found at the following link: Der Spiegel.
All rights to the original text belong to Der Spiegel.
