Photo illustration: Lindsey Bailey/Axios. Photos: Kevin Dietsch, Contributor via Getty Images
President Trump's decision to freeze all military aid to Ukraine is the latest of a series of actions that might have been ripped from Vladimir Putin's own wishlist.
Why it matters: Trump is also contemplating sanctions relief for Moscow and threatening regime change in Kyiv. The Moscow-friendly streak comes as he aims to encourage peace in Ukraine and improved relations between nuclear-armed superpowers.
But his handling of Putin as an ally and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as an enemy has sounded alarm bells among NATO allies and even some fellow Republicans.
Behind the news: A White House official informed Axios' Barak Ravid Monday evening that Trump is halting all arms deliveries to Ukraine because he's "focused on peace" and Ukraine needs "to be committed to that goal as well."
Trump informed journalists earlier on Monday that he assumes that Russia desires peace, but that "maybe someone doesn't want to make a deal" — seemingly a nod to Zelensky.
"If someone doesn't want to make a deal, I think that person won't be around very long," Trump continued, probably alluding to MAGA's increasingly vocal demands for the resignation of Zelensky or the hold of fresh elections in Ukraine.
The Kremlin, meanwhile, declared Sunday that the "dynamically changing" U.S. foreign policy strategy "largely coincides with our vision."
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov complimented Trump's "common sense," as other Kremlin insiders basked in Trump's steamrolling of Zelensky in the Oval Office.
Breaking it down: Trump has at least made five Moscow-friendly gestures in just the past two weeks.
1. The White House requested Treasury and State to spot sanctions on Russia that can be relaxed as the process of upgrading relations, reports Reuters.
Trump did not reject it on Monday, saying: "We want to make deals with everybody."
2. U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth apparently directed U.S. Cyber Command to halt offensive cyber and information operations against Russia.
The suspension is to run as long as negotiations towards the end of the Russia-Ukraine war unfold, officials informed the Washington Post.
3. Trump demanded elections in Ukraine, and he and his allies implied following the Oval Office altercation that Zelensky could need to leave.
Regime change in Kyiv was among Putin's initial goals for invading. It is unlikely he will be able to place a Kremlin stooge anytime in the near future.
Nevertheless, Trump's words condemning Zelensky — and his actions to isolate him after the meeting — have undermined the position of a leader the Kremlin has long tried to discredit on the international stage.
Reality check: Ukraine has been under martial law since the invasion started, and its constitution doesn't permit elections in such circumstances.
4. The U.S. cast its vote with Russia and 16 other predominantly authoritarian nations to veto a UN resolution last week condemning Russia's "aggression" in Ukraine.
The Biden administration consistently employed such votes to portray Russia as a pariah nation. Today, the U.S. voted with Moscow and against almost all its Western allies.
5. Halting weapons deliveries — already significantly reduced by the Trump administration — is the newest sensational move.
Billions of dollars of equipment pledged under Biden were at various points in the delivery pipeline, Axios' Sareen Habeshian writes.
Zelensky informed NBC's "Meet the Press" last month that Ukraine had only a "low chance to survive" without U.S. military aid.
Trump and his advisors have also considered whether to restrict U.S. intelligence sharing with Ukraine.
The larger picture: Trump's amiability towards Putin is not a new development. Probes into the president's connections to Russia shadowed much of his first term, and seeking revenge for the "Russia hoax" has become central to MAGA's political identity.
Trump responded Monday to criticism that his foreign policy aligns with the Kremlin's, noting that Russia's recent invasions — of Georgia in 2008, Crimea in 2014, and Ukraine in 2022 — were done when he was not in office.
"Under President Trump they got nothing, and under President Biden they attempted to get the whole thing. If I hadn't gotten in here they would have gotten the whole thing," Trump claimed.
The White House, Pentagon, State Department and Treasury all refused comment or did not answer requests for comment.
Between the lines: Dangling relief from sanctions, a cyber ceasefire and global reintegration could all potentially provide Trump with an upper hand on Putin, especially when he's attempting to persuade him to end the war.
The honeymoon is unlikely to last, especially when Trump has himself admitted that he might be mistaken in believing that Putin genuinely desires a peace agreement.
Up to now, however, he has presented almost all carrots and no sticks to Putin — a far cry from Zelensky.
It's partly reflective of Trump's inclination to negotiate superpower-to-superpower, in an international order governed by hard power.