In a world where the ink is hardly dry on page one of the international news, President Trump appears to be trying his hand at international diplomacy, with the agility of someone testing the springs at an underfunded trampoline park. His latest foray finds him juggling the tangled mess between Russia and Ukraine, and if anyone thought peace deals were brokered over a genteel afternoon tea, they’re sorely mistaken.
Let’s start with Russia. President Trump is letting Russian President Vladimir Putin know of his potential plans to slap on some secondary tariffs if things don’t shape up in Ukraine. This is Trump’s way of saying, “Get your act together, or your economy’s house of cards might just get a stiff breeze.” Putin, on the other hand, seems to be playing the long game, with some analysts suggesting he’s more interested in having his cake and eating it too—continuing to apply pressure on Ukraine while keeping one eye on his oil revenue streams.
Across the line, Ukraine isn’t exactly earning gold stars from Trump either. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is in the hot seat as Trump accuses him of backpedaling on a rare minerals deal. Now, when it comes to resources as crucial as rare earth minerals, you’d think everyone would be on the same page. But alas, Zelenskyy’s move to perhaps ‘renegotiate’ has landed him in Trump’s verbal doghouse. Of course, seeking NATO membership seems like a distant dream now, as if trying to reach the end of a rainbow.
As if playing tic-tac-toe with international jitters wasn’t enough, Trump is also eyeing Iran with a stern disposition. The threat of secondary tariffs looms here too, contingent on whether Iran decides to play nice with nuclear talks, or retreat back to its corner of the playground. The thought of a nuclear-armed Iran seems to provoke more than a few sleepless nights, and rightly so—talk about a disaster waiting to happen.
Meanwhile, in the midst of such high-stakes politicking, one wonders how President Trump manages to keep all the plates spinning, all while maintaining that oh-so-delicately managed economy. With Russia propped up by unlikely allies and Iran entangled in its own web of influence, the global stage looks more like a juggling act than a diplomatic banquet. Yet as these dramas unfold, the world watches, popcorn in hand, waiting to see whether tariffs will become the next big showstopper or if cooler heads will prevail over warmongering rhetoric.
