President Donald Trump has revealed the key metric by which he will make his imminent decision on Ukraine: the “attitude of Russia.” This subjective measure gives the president maximum flexibility in judging whether Moscow has met his demands within the two-week deadline.
By focusing on “attitude” rather than a rigid set of actions, Trump is signaling that he is looking for a sign of willingness and good faith from the Kremlin. A commitment to a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky would likely be the most convincing sign of a positive attitude.
This metric puts the onus on Russian President Vladimir Putin to not only act, but to be perceived as acting constructively. His recent praise for Trump can be seen as the opening move in a campaign to demonstrate the right “attitude.”
Ultimately, the judgment of this “attitude” will be made by Trump alone. This makes the next two weeks a period of intense performance and perception management, as Moscow attempts to project an image of cooperation that will satisfy the U.S. president and avert a new round of sanctions.