On July 14th, President Donald Trump set a deadline for Russian President Vladimir Putin to end the war in Ukraine – 50 days. The war’s death toll and the Russian leader’s bad faith negotiating tactics had exceeded the president’s patience threshold and it was time for the Trump Administration to weigh in more heavily than it had thus far. President Trump threatened sanctions and secondary sanctions if Putin didn’t stop the conflict, offering increased military support to Ukraine as well. Putin was on the clock!
Two weeks later, an important change took place when Trump accelerated the timeline. It was that pressure-packed strategy that quickly brought Putin to the negotiating table. It was also a potent sign of what works to influence the Russian president – urgent and looming economic pressure. According to their own central bank, the Russian economy is in a dismal condition and its future outlook is bleak. Trump’s threatened economic penalties, coupled with a tight timeline, forced Putin to alter his decision-making processes in a way that nothing had thus far.
Much ink has been used to opine on the outcomes of the Alaska Summit. It was undoubtedly a chance for Putin to bask in the glory of a meeting with President Trump while hoping to reset the clock and return to his warmaking activities without the pressure of a deadline. While there is very little known about the detailed discussions of the closed-door meetings, there are a few key takeaways that are a natural manifestation of such an engagement. First, President Trump had a chance to express his disdain for the on-going conflict, while threatening very severe consequences if it didn’t end soon. Second, President Trump had the opportunity to hear from Putin, who likely expressed some level of commitment to end the war to please his host.
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