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The Opinions
David French and Megan K. Stack on why Trump’s many promises to end the conflict “in 24 hours” was a fantasy.
June 5, 2025
After speaking with President Vladimir Putin of Russia on Wednesday, President Trump said Moscow plans to retaliate against Ukraine for the country’s drone strike over the weekend. Despite Trump’s ambitious campaign promises, an end to the war still seems far away. On this episode of “The Opinions,” the columnist David French joins Megan K. Stack, a contributing Opinion writer and former Moscow bureau chief for The Los Angeles Times, to discuss the state of the conflict today and why there may not be reason for optimism, even in a post-Putin world.
Is the Ukraine War the Next Afghanistan?
David French and Megan K. Stack on why Trump’s many promises to end the conflict “in 24 hours” was a fantasy.
Below is a transcript of an episode of “The Opinions.” We recommend listening to it in its original form for the full effect. You can do so using the player above or on the NYT Audio App, Apple, Spotify, Amazon Music, YouTube, iHeartRadio or wherever you get your podcasts.
The transcript has been lightly edited for length and clarity.
David French: I’m David French, and I’m a columnist for New York Times Opinion.
Over the weekend, we saw some of Ukraine’s most audacious attacks against Russia since this war started.
At the same time, The Economist reported that Russia might have passed the grimmest possible milestone and will soon suffer more than one million casualties in the war. So it’s time to ask once again: What should the U.S. be doing now?
