Backtalk CHRISTOPHER RUDDY / PUBLISHER I Trump’s Talk Therapy
n psychotherapy, one of the cardinal rules is simple: It’s better to talk than not to talk. Dialogue opens channels for understanding, and
more often than not, solutions follow. President Donald J. Trump has applied this principle to
global diplomacy with remarkable success. Nowhere is this clearer than in Ukraine. For sure, Trump’s version of “talk therapy” has been a
defining hallmark of his foreign policy, one that emphasizes direct engagement — even with adversaries — instead of the sterile silence that too often prevails. The evidence of success with this strategy is compelling. Trump has shown that breakthroughs begin not with ultimatums but with conversations. Time and again, he has proved that speaking candidly,
directly, and frequently is not a weakness, but a strength. When Trump entered the scene in his second term,
Russia and Ukraine weren’t even at the same table. Years of frozen hostility, punctuated by violence, had
left the two nations with nothing but distrust and the bloodshed of over 1 million dead and wounded. Under the Biden administration, diplomacy ground to a halt. Trump’s first achievement was simple but hugely significant: He got both sides talking. Today, Russian and Ukrainian officials meet and communicate with a regularity that was unthinkable before. Contrast this with the Biden years. Contact between
President Joe Biden and Russia’s Vladimir Putin was virtually nonexistent, and that diplomatic frostiness trickled down to lower levels of engagement. Silence, in this case, was not golden; it only deepened
the gulf between the two sides. Trump, by comparison, believes firmly in direct action and conversation. After all, how can you strike an agreement if the parties won’t even speak to each other? Ukraine is not the first time Trump has relied on direct
dialogue as a tool of statecraft. Consider the near-perpetual conflict between India
and Pakistan. While the region remains fraught, Trump’s efforts helped de-escalate a crisis and potential nuclear conflict. Pakistan was so appreciative of Trump’s intervention,
it even nominated him for the Nobel Peace Prize. Or take the Abraham Accords, one of the most remarkable achievements in modern Middle Eastern diplomacy. By bringing Israel and several Arab nations to the table,
Trump demonstrated that old hostilities could be set aside when dialogue was encouraged. These agreements reshaped the landscape of the region,
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creating new opportunities for trade, security, and peace that would have seemed impossible just a few years earlier. Even in the case of Iran, where Trump’s outreach was met with rigid resistance, the principle of engagement held.
T
rump repeatedly extended the opportunity for serious talks, but Tehran stubbornly refused to budge. Their intransigence is now a cautionary tale for Putin
and others: When Trump offers a deal, it is often the best chance to escape further isolation or, in the case of Iran’s nuclear program, “obliteration.” Trump has made no secret of his friendly approach with
Russia. He has presented Putin with what some describe as an “unbelievable deal.” The terms are bold: Russia keeps the land it stole, will
likely see billions in frozen assets unlocked, and regains full membership in the G7. Putin’s response, however, has been to retreat into the
fog of history. Instead of grabbing onto the here and now, he says
an agreement must address the “historical roots” of the problem. Not surprisingly, he traces Russia’s grievances back to
A.D. 862, when the Russia state began its initial formation with Kyiv as a power center. It’s an extraordinary stretch, one that reveals Putin’s
tendency to cloak aggression in the language of antiquity. But Trump knows that Putin responds not only to
words, but to strength. Conversations must be coupled with leverage. If Putin fails to respond in a reasonable way, Trump
clearly has alternatives, including bolstering Ukraine militarily — removing restrictions on advanced weaponry and stepping up arms deliveries. Only changing the balance of power on the battlefield, I
believe, will bring Putin to the negotiating table in earnest. Trump’s foreign policy is built on a simple but profound
insight: People, and nations, resolve issues by talking them through. Psychotherapists know it, ordinary people know it, and now, thanks to Trump, global leaders are learning it too. Whether in Ukraine, the Middle East, or South
Asia, Trump has shown that dialogue is not weakness but wisdom. His “talk therapy” approach may not yield instant cures,
but it is a path to healing a fractured world. Time and again, Donald Trump has demonstrated that
his talk approach works, even more so because it is backed up with action.
Christopher Ruddy is CEO of Newsmax.
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