Far from behaving like an Emperor, as some commentators have called him, extracting tribute from a beleaguered vassal, Trump is following in the footsteps of the first and greatest of American Presidents…writes By Mihir Bose
The world, Trump’s Maga hordes apart, agrees that his policy on Ukraine is cold-hearted deal-making. America is getting 50% of revenues from the “future monetisation” of Ukraine’s state-owned mineral resources. Trump, described as a transactional President, has made the sort of deal we would all like to make. A transaction that makes a lot of money but involves no obligations. Trump has not given what President Zelensky so desperately wants: security guarantees to Ukraine. Trump has behaved like a Dickensian character, a money lender who is always knocking on Ukraine’s doors saying, “You have to give me your most prized jewels.”
Yet far from behaving like an Emperor, as some commentators have called him, extracting tribute from a beleaguered vassal he is following in the footsteps of the first and greatest of American Presidents. George Washington said, “There can be no greater error than to expect or calculate upon real favours from nation to nation”. Trump may not know the words, and one of his Maga minions should tell him what Washington said so he can proclaim it at his next press conference. It will further reinforce his claim that he stands on a par with great American Presidents, if not better than some.
Trump could also say he is being more generous than Franklin Roosevelt was to Britain during the war when this country faced up to Hitler, to whom Putin has been compared.
Let us recall what happened. America did not enter the war until December 1941, following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour, and between 1939 and 1940, Britain bought aircraft and other military equipment on what was a “cash-and-carry basis”. But by 1940, British reserves of dollars and gold had been exhausted. America agreed to provide help, but Britain had to pay a high price. In September 1940, Roosevelt approved the release of fifty rusting First World War destroyers to help escort British convoys, but Britain had to agree to give America a string of military bases for American forces from Newfoundland to Bermuda.
In March 1941, the famous Lend Lease Act was passed by Congress, against much opposition from Americans who feared it meant America was entering the war, but Britain had to promise that after the war, it would be America that would be the major power and Britain the secondary one. How ironic that then America’s target was the Imperial Preference system of trading that Britain had. It wanted free trade. Trump, who has said the tariff is such a lovely world, would love for America to have an Imperial Preference system. Britain resisted American pressure, and talks went on for seven months. Britain finally gave in when Roosevelt threatened that aid would stop if Britain disagreed. On top of that, Americans often did not keep their promises, making one British official say American promises “often peter out to nothing in practice”. The result of the deal was that after the war, America made sure it emerged as the top dog, and Britain faced financial Armageddon, which required all the skills of Maynard Keynes, the great economist, to avert.
In comparison to that, Zelensky is getting a much better ride. The difference is that what was said behind doors was never made public. In fact, in public, something very different and misleading was said. Publicly, Churchill described Lend Lease as “the most unsordid act”, but privately, he said Britain was not only being skinned “but flayed to the bone”. Now, with Trump, the master showman, unable to keep away from the cameras, everything is public immediately. This means that the entire perception of the Ukraine deal is different, but that does not mean that Trump is behaving more ruthlessly than Roosevelt. The British love Roosevelt so much that there is a statue of him sitting with Churchill on a wooden bench on Bond Street. It’s hard to see one of Trump sitting with anyone anywhere in Britain ever.
What is different is that in the Second World War, the Allies knew their objective. This was, as Roosevelt put it, the unconditional surrender of Germany and the destruction of the Nazi regime. No such demand has ever been made on Russia. The objective has been for Russia to vacate the Ukrainian land it has ceased in the present war but hold on to Crimea and other Ukrainian territory it seized years ago.
What is more, and this is where Europe comes in, its leaders thought Russia could be forced to withdraw from Ukraine through economic sanctions. Impose the most draconian financial penalties, make Russians feel the effect of the war in their wallets, and they will turn on Putin and throw him out. As far as this country is concerned, the most dramatic impact is that Chelsea Football Club has changed ownership with Roman Abramovich forced to sell the club to American investors. All this while European leaders have encouraged the idea that Ukraine could be admitted to NATO and the EU.
This policy’s failure is evident in how much of the world outside Europe, and some in Europe, most notably Hungary, have accepted Putin’s version of what happened. That the conflict is not between noble Ukraine and evil Russia. That Russia is merely protecting itself as it feared its independence provoked by the fact that NATO menaced Russia by talking of admitting countries that border Russia, countries that once were part of the Soviet empire in the Cold War days. Indeed, people in many parts of the world, unlike most in Western Europe, do not even see Russia as having invaded Ukraine. Here again, Trump, who has also voiced this opinion, could say his views are not outrageous but in tune with most of the world.
The fact is after the Russian invasion, European leaders never considered that an end to the war would come not on the battlefield but in a conference room. Yes, Trump is being characteristically bombastic in saying he could have prevented the war with one phone call to Putin and can now stop with one phone call. However, by not having a clear policy on how the war could be stopped, Europe prepared the ground for Trump, who is taking advantage. It is European statesmen who have failed Ukraine and now faced with Trump, the ultimate deal maker, have nothing to offer except empty words.
Mihir Bose is the author of ‘Thank You Mr. Crombie Lessons in Guilt’ and ‘Gratitude to the British.’
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