What unites Trump and Putin and why both leaders got stuck in wars
Two aging leaders are struggling to get out of disastrous wars that they personally drove their countries into. Neither is succeeding.
When Russian President Vladimir Putin launched his full-scale invasion of Ukraine in early 2022, his goal was to bring about regime change in Kyiv and declare victory within days–not a "war" but a "special military operation."
Similarly, when US President Donald Trump launched an all-out attack against Iran, his goal was to bring about regime change in Tehran and declare victory within days–not a "war" but an "excursion."
Both men made the decision to start a war without following the normal policy-planning process, let alone considering all the possible consequences and second-order effects.
Read more about the problem that now unites the two leaders in the column by former Swedish prime minister and foreign minister Carl Bildt: Brothers in humiliation: Why Trump and Putin cannot help each other.
Neither leader has made much headway even toward their more modest objectives.
"Putin can order his armies to advance, but they cannot actually do it. Tens of thousands of increasingly low-quality recruits are being sent to die, with nothing to show for it," Carl Bildt writes.
According to him, the Russian war economy is churning out Iranian-model attack drones in huge numbers, but the Ukrainians have proven to be even more innovative.
The Swedish politician notes that Ukrainian drones are not only holding the line of defense but also striking energy infrastructure and military targets deep within Russia.
"I imagine that Putin is gnashing his teeth in the Kremlin, or in some hidden bunker, yelling at the people who cannot give him the victory he desperately needs. And Trump unwittingly airs his own desperation daily on Truth Social," the former Swedish prime minister and foreign minister writes.
He emphasizes that each leader’s failed war will change his respective regime.
"And now that the Russian population has grown accustomed to the comforts of the digital age, there are limits to what traditional propaganda and repression can do. If Russian history is a guide, failed wars lead to political change – as happened after the Russian defeat to the Japanese in 1905 and the Soviet defeat in Afghanistan. Putin’s legacy will be defined by his failure in Ukraine," the author stresses.
But the columnist also identifies one achievement shared by Putin and Trump.
"The Norwegian committee that awards the Nobel Peace Prize will be able to work without distraction. Putin was never under consideration, and if Trump was, he never will be again," the former Swedish prime minister and foreign minister concludes.