On July 14, in an announcement that caught both allies and critics off guard, former President Donald J. Trump issued his strongest rebuke yet of Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine. Trump’s new Russia policy gave a 50-day deadline to the Russian leader: start peace negotiations or face a 100% tariff on all Russian exports, along with sanctions on third-party nations that continue to buy Russian oil. He also announced the sale of Patriot missile systems to NATO allies—though not directly to Ukraine—and restated his opposition to Ukraine joining NATO, sending troops, or invoking the Budapest Memorandum.

Although these steps don’t amount to a full strategic shift, they mark an important change: for the first time, Trump seems to recognize the threat posed by Putin not only to Europe but to global peace—and eventually, to American leadership.

This new stance warrants recognition. It embodies a growing realism that Moscow’s aggression in Ukraine cannot be ignored, minimized, or postponed. But if this truly marks the start of a renewed American approach to international order, it will require more than tariffs and arms sales. It will need moral clarity, sustained commitment, and global leadership. (In the spirit of full disclosure, the writer is a past President of the Canada Ukraine Foundation and a senior advisor to the Centre for Eastern European Democracy in Toronto).

There are compelling reasons why helping Ukraine is not only consistent with American interests—it is essential to preserving them.

While Trump’s new measures are a step forward, they also expose the limits of his policy:

• The U.S. statement explicitly rules out troop deployment or invocation of prior security pledges.

These omissions create critical gaps. A containment strategy that delays decisive support risks prolonging the war and emboldening other autocratic regimes.

President Trump’s New Tone on Ukraine Is Appreciated, but It Cannot Mark the End of the Discussion. The stakes are too high. China is observing. Iran is too. America’s allies are watching as well.

Ukraine has earned our support not just through shared ideals but through action, sacrifice, and resilience. The cost of peace must not lead to abandoning those who have stood with us. America’s legacy is built on resolve, not retreat.

If we are to remain leaders of the free world, let this Trump’s new Russia policy be the start of a broader strategy —one that balances strength and stands firm when freedom itself is at stake.