When Will Trump Get Tough on Putin? Maybe Never

It’s been 42 days since President Donald Trump gave Russia a 10-to-12 day ultimatum to agree to a ceasefire in Ukraine or face “very severe consequences,” and 229 since he took office boasting could end the war in 24 hours. The result so far: A brutal Russian escalation of its invasion. So, what will it take for Trump to follow through on his repeated threats, made again last week, to start using sticks as well as carrots in his dealings with Vladimir Putin?

You might think that moment was drawing close. In Beijing, Putin seemed to troll Trump, as he admired a military parade of Chinese arms clearly pointed at Taiwan and its US protector. For good measure, he invited North Korea’s Kim Jong Un to share a ride in his armored Aurus Senat limousine, mimicking Trump’s gesture just weeks before in Alaska, when he did the same for the Russian leader in the 10-ton US presidential Cadillac known as “The Beast.”