Trump isn’t as adept at the art of the deal as he thinks

In his latest negotiations with Putin, the president has done precisely what he warns against and it would be comical if not for its potentially awful consequences, says Guy Walters

- Guy Walters

In his 1987 book The Art of the Deal, Donald Trump gave his readers some excellent advice: "The worst thing you can possibly do in a deal is seem desperate to make it. That makes the other guy smell blood, and then you're dead. The best thing you can do is deal from strength, and leverage is the biggest strength you can have. Leverage is having something the other guy wants. Or better yet, needs. Or best of all, simply can’t do without.”

It is a deep, deep shame, then, that the president is incapable of following his own advice – especially when it comes to his forthcoming negotiations with Vladimir Putin over the future of Ukraine. In fact, in this case, he has done worse than that – he has done the exact opposite of what he himself advises, and handed over any leverage he might have had before the talks have even started.

Stating that Ukraine would have to relinquish territory stolen by the Russians, declaring that no US troops would be stationed in Ukraine, and worse still, speculating that Ukraine “may be Russian some day”, he has effectively handed over all his bargaining chips, leaving Putin in a position of immense strength. Doubtless the laughter from the Kremlin can be heard 5,000 miles away in the White House.

As Sir Alex Younger, the former head of MI6, said on the Today programme, “Giving it away up front feels strange” – and he added that it wasn’t the first time. It reminded him of Trump’s deal with Afghanistan during his first presidency.

This was, of course, the Doha Accord of 2020, which – despite a pumped-up Trump selling it as the deal of the century – ultimately gave the Taliban a clear route to power in Afghanistan, and plunged that benighted country back to the darkest of ages, especially for its women.