@snarlcakes History will record Putin as an aggressor fighting an illegal war and Trump as putting his thumb on the scale in his favor. If he successfully ends the war, it will be viewed as appeasement. If he doesn't, it will be viewed as failed appeasement. Either way, Trump will not be treated kindly in history books.
I disagree. If Trump ends the war and Russia doesn't invade or take over anymore land in the next 10 years it will be seen as a positive. Only partisan fools wouldn't see it that way.
If Trump ends the war and Russia tries to take over more territory/land at some point in the next several years, I agree with you.
@snarlcakes if Putin wants Russia back, are you ok if he takes it as long as he doesn't take the West coast for a few years?
@snarlcakes Trump has one card left.
Ilhan
Omar.
It's the only remaining place to put points on the board.
@snarlcakes there's nothing left. she's the only opportunity for points.
@snarlcakes certainly some would view that as a positive outcome, but most will not give trump credit for it. They will question whether Trump's apparent siding with Putin helped him (Putin) achieve more than he otherwise would have. Obviously, this war is likely to end with Russia in possession of Eastern Ukraine. That's just basic math. But Trump's posterity problem isn't the final borders, it's how he's conducting himself as a biased mediator, clearly favoring the side history will record as the villain.
@goat the question is where, the area Ukraine now has is called the fortress belt for a reason. If they give it up, they lose their most defendable terrain. Putin wants it.
In202w, 75% of Trump supporters backed the restriction on Russian oil even if it raised oil prices. Diesel was about $5.75 in '22. So what has changed other than who gets blamed?
https://www.nbcnews.com/world/russia/russia-ukraine-yandex-data-centers-attacks-trump-rcna602753
A good friend will bail you out of jail, but your best friend will be sitting next to you in the cell saying "that was f***ing awesome"
@snarlcakes certainly some would view that as a positive outcome, but most will not give trump credit for it. They will question whether Trump's apparent siding with Putin helped him (Putin) achieve more than he otherwise would have. Obviously, this war is likely to end with Russia in possession of Eastern Ukraine. That's just basic math. But Trump's posterity problem isn't the final borders, it's how he's conducting himself as a biased mediator, clearly favoring the side history will record as the villain.
I think Trump's unsavory conduct fades over time and outcomes are what will matter. Hence my comment on history being kind to Trump. Not to mention it's an extremely low bar currently. Most of you think his policies have been terrible.
@snarlcakes I think you're underestimating just how universally people will come down on the side of Ukraine when discussing this war in historical context. Trump's legacy will have a long-lasting strain. Chamberlain-style stain.
@snarlcakes You're going to have to explain your yabbuts better than that.
@snarlcakes You're going to have to explain your yabbuts better than that.
When Obama was President Putin took Crimea and Obama did nothing. Does the make him Chamberlin?
- Executive Orders: President Obama signed Executive Order 13660 (March 6, 2014), Executive Order 13661 (March 17, 2014), and Executive Order 13662 (March 20, 2014) invoking the International Emergency Economic Powers Act. [1, 2]
- Targets: Asset freezes and travel bans were applied to senior Russian officials, individuals close to President Vladimir Putin, selected Russian banks, and key economic sectors. [1, 2, 3]
- Goal: To penalize Russia for violating the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine and for the purported annexation of Crimea
Russia spent a lot of time trying to US proof their economy before this invasion due to the damage the sanctions did to their economy. Here is a link to it, their actions show Obama's sanctions did hurt them,
https://econofact.org/how-sanction-proof-is-the-russian-economy
Last year when Trump announced sweeping tariffs on virtually everyone, he excluded Russia.
From AI:
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On April 2, 2025, President Donald Trump announced his sweeping "Liberation Day" reciprocal tariff policy via Executive Order 14257, which explicitly excluded Russia from the list of targeted countries.
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He excluded Russia, Belarus, North Korea, and Cuba. A real fun-loving group. He claimed we had tough sanctions on Russia, but at the time we imported over a billion dollars' worth of goods from Russia yearly. So those areas, precious metals, fertilizer, and uranium all became 10% cheaper from Russia than from other countries.