President Trump deserves credit for his decision on Thursday to cancel a planned summit with Russian president Vladimir Putin in Buenos Aires, Argentina, this weekend. The president outlined his rationale on Twitter.
….in Argentina with President Vladimir Putin. I look forward to a meaningful Summit again as soon as this situation is resolved!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 29, 2018
It’s the right call. Russia’s aggression against Ukraine last Sunday; in which Russian security forces seized 23 Ukrainian sailors and three Ukrainian vessels operating in Ukrainian waters, was outrageous. Moreover, it reflects Putin’s continuing effort to formalize his seizure of Ukrainian territory and subjugate Kiev’s democratic sovereign authority. Both of those Russian pursuits are fundamentally at odds with the basic principles of the U.S.-led international order. And they deserve more American reprisals than simple condemnation.
Still, Trump’s decision to pull out of his meeting with Putin is a good first step. It will embarrass and infuriate the Russian government by being seen for what it is: a total rejection of their claim to a moral right of control over Ukraine. We must remember here that Putin’s Ukraine policy is rooted in particularly passionate Russian nationalist narratives. Correspondingly, by rejecting those narratives for what they are: a false moral cover for blatant imperialist aggression, Trump’s personal rebuke of Putin offers a powerful political message.
As I say, Trump deserves credit for his action here.
