American Swings: Trump Hesitates—Should He Hit Moscow with Sanctions?

America is the land of opportunity—or, judging by recent events, also the land of eternal “swings.” US President Donald Trump once again demonstrated perfect political flexibility when asked whether he would support Senator Lindsey Graham’s bill on “crushing” sanctions against Russia. His answer was classic for anyone who doesn’t like answering uncomfortable questions: “I don’t know. I have to see it. I’ll take a look at it.”

Trump is understandable, though. Why rush, when there’s such a delicate dance of allies and opponents all around, and the new law is like an IKEA brochure: you kind of want to put it together, but the instructions are never quite enough? Senator Graham, known for his Twitter duels with world leaders, has already visited Kyiv and promised his bill will soon reach the Senate—and not just reach it, but ominously “punish” Russia with 500% tariffs on imports from countries that can’t seem to give up oil, gas, and uranium, like they’re unhealthy snacks.

Meanwhile, there’s no time to be bored in Europe: the European Union is stamping out its 17th sanctions package, as if planning to open its own “Sanctionmarket.” France, Germany, Britain, and company are also enthusiastically threatening Moscow with new economic hammers—though each time it looks more and more like a friendly wink.

Against this backdrop, America looks like an old wise eagle, either about to swoop down on its prey or simply tired of posing for memes. While the State Department tries to explain that overly harsh measures could destroy the negotiation process (and, at the same time, your nerves), Trump prefers to keep the intrigue alive. As if to say, let’s first see if the bill isn’t written in invisible ink.

And while the world holds its breath (and calculations for future contracts), Trump once again plays his favorite role: the sphinx-president, whose answers are always mysterious and never boring.