US President Donald Trump’s misreading of Russia has cost Ukraine dearly. Russian forces exploited the first half-year of the new US presidency to advance on the front lines and kill civilians, taking advantage of a flawed understanding of Moscow’s mindset.

Sanctions will not alter the Kremlin’s goal

Trump has expressed willingness to impose sanctions on Russia, yet economic pressure alone will not deter Putin from his primary objective: defeating Ukraine.

The American leader’s challenge is immense: inflict enough damage on Moscow to change its behavior while keeping diplomatic channels open.

In practice, this is impossible, as Putin does not seek peace, and confusion in Trump’s thinking only exacerbates the problem.

Putin exploits time and allies

The past eight months of American governance have been wasted from the perspective of strategic defense for Ukraine and Europe, allowing Moscow to strengthen its position.

After attacks on the offices of the EU, the British Council, and Ukraine’s Cabinet of Ministers, it became clear that Putin acts with impunity.

A meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping reinforced his sense of support from international allies, and Moscow continues to receive money, weapons, hydrocarbons, and even special forces from North Korea.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian officials fear new attacks on Pokrovsk in Donetsk Oblast and advances north toward Kupiansk in Kharkiv Oblast. The Kremlin’s time gain gives Putin a strategic advantage that Washington has yet to offset. Clearly, this approach requires urgent change.

Russia’s 7 September missile attack on Kyiv’s Cabinet of Ministers building used an Iskander 9M727 cruise missile containing more than 30 foreign-made components, including parts manufactured in the US, UK, Japan, and Switzerland, according to Ukrainian presidential adviser on sanctions policy, Vladyslav Vlasiuk.

Missile strike on Cabinet building used Western tech

Vlasiuk confirmed the building was struck with a 9M727 Iskander missile. The warhead did not explode, he said, likely due to the missile being damaged. However, the fuel ignited and caused a fire on the roof of the Cabinet building.

According to Vlasiuk, a previously examined missile of the same model contained 35 American-made parts, five Belarusian parts, and 57 Russian ones. The missile also included one component each from Japan, the UK, and Switzerland.

Foreign manufacturers identified in the missile included Texas Instruments, Analog Devices, and Altera from the US, College Electronics Ltd from the UK, Fujitsu from Japan, and Traco Power from Switzerland.

Belarusian company Integral was also listed, alongside multiple Russian firms such as Mikron, Production Association “Strela”, Angstrem, Research and Design Bureau “Eksiton”, and Karachevsky Plant “Elektrodetal”.

Shift in missile component origin revealed

Vlasiuk noted that compared to missiles analyzed in previous years, the number of US and European components had declined. In contrast, the use of Russian and Belarusian-made components increased.

Record missile and drone assault on 7 September

On 7 September, Russia launched an unprecedented assault on Ukraine using 605 explosive drones and 13 missiles. One of the missiles struck the roof of the Cabinet of Ministers building in central Kyiv.

The deadliest attack that day targeted a nine-story apartment building in Kyiv’s Sviatoshynskyi district. The blast at the residential building killed three civilians, including a baby, and injured 11 others. Ukraine’s State Emergency Service (DSNS) completed the search and rescue operation at the site on 8 September. Rescuers managed to save seven residents from the rubble.