Washington Post columnist Max Boot accused President Donald Trump of having a "Charlie Brown-like awareness" of what it will take to end Russia's war in Ukraine, according to a new column.
Trump claimed during the campaign trail that he would end the war in Ukraine within 24 hours of taking office. However, more than a year later, the war continues. Meanwhile, there have been multiple instances where Trump had adversarial meetings with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the White House.
Boot argued in a new column that Trump appears to have a "Charlie Brown-like awareness that his quest" to end the war "may be futile," referring to the "Peanuts" cartoon by illustrator Charles Schulz.
"Trump’s infinite gullibility in dealing with Putin makes it impossible for him to achieve his cherished dream of ending the war in Ukraine — and winning a Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts," Boot wrote. "His failure to apply more pressure on Russia is all the more frustrating because Ukraine is making good progress in applying pressure on its own."
Boot compared Putin to Lucy van Pelt, who iconically yanked the football away from Charlie Brown whenever he tried to kick it.
His comments come at a time when Trump and Putin are scheduled to meet in Budapest for a second summit. Analysts bashed the first summit, arguing that Putin "got everything he wanted" from Trump.
"But every time it looks like Trump is starting to get it, he allows himself to be sweet-talked by the former KGB agent in the Kremlin. Trump clearly knows, at some level, that Putin is “tapping” him along — and yet he falls for it every time," Boot wrote. "Charlie Brown can relate."