Russian and Ukrainian strikes leave 10 dead as Trump calls on

European security questions expose tensions between alliance obligations and American interests.

Source: Washington Times
1 min read
Why This Matters

Four people dead in Ukraine, a refinery burning in Russia, and another round of drone strikes that will change nothing about the front lines. That was the state of the war this weekend, as it has been for months now. The Biden administration talked about supporting Ukraine "as long as it takes," which turned out to be a blank check with no exit strategy attached.

New Republican Times Editorial Board

Russian and Ukrainian strikes leave 10 dead as Trump calls on
Image via Washington Times

Russian attacks killed four people across Ukraine, officials said on Saturday, while Ukraine continued to target Russian oil refineries and industrial sites with long-range drones.

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How We See It

New Republican Times Editorial Board

Four people dead in Ukraine, a refinery burning in Russia, and another round of drone strikes that will change nothing about the front lines. That was the state of the war this weekend, as it has been for months now. The Biden administration talked about supporting Ukraine "as long as it takes," which turned out to be a blank check with no exit strategy attached. President Trump is right to call for an immediate truce, and the status quo is a slow bleed that favors nobody but the arms dealers.

The details of this weekend's attacks are grim but familiar. Russian missiles hit residential areas, and Ukrainian drones reached deep into Russian territory to hit oil infrastructure. Both sides are trading punishment, and neither is close to a battlefield breakthrough that would end this. What the previous administration never seemed to grasp is that this war is now a math problem, not a moral crusade. The longer it grinds on, the more territory Ukraine loses, so negotiation is not surrender, it's strategy.

We are not going to pretend Russia is blameless here. The invasion itself was unjustified, and Putin's conduct has been brutal. But the reality on the ground is what it is, and the Ukrainians cannot fight forever with borrowed money and aging equipment. President Trump understands that peace requires both sides to give something up, and his push for a truce is the first realistic diplomatic effort we have seen in years. It will take hard choices in Kyiv and Moscow, but a frozen conflict beats an endless funeral for a whole generation of young men.

Commentary written with AI assistance by the New Republican Times Editorial Board.