Star Trek, India And Peace In Ukraine
Like the fictional Kirk, Trump has reset the table and changed the rules of the game. That new game is one that Putin cannot win.
Don’t miss last week’s essential analysis on how, contrary to the Democrat-RINO-NeverTrump axis, Trump is quickly cementing America’s global hegemony.
by Sam Faddis
August 18, 2025
In Star Trek, Captain Kirk, while still a cadet at Starfleet Academy, faces the Kobayashi Maru test. It’s a simulation in which the cadet, acting notionally as a starship commander, is faced with a no-win scenario. No matter what Kirk does, he loses. The point of the exercise is to see how cadets will react to failure.
But Kirk doesn’t believe in no-win scenarios. He reprograms the simulation so he can win. He changes the rules. He resets the table. He is the first and only cadet in Starfleet history to not lose.
Donald Trump has the same approach to resolving seemingly intractable problems. He doesn’t accept the limitations on his actions that others do. If the game is rigged against him, he comes up with a new game.
Which brings us to India, Ukraine, and Vladimir Putin.
Russia is a gas station with nuclear weapons. Without the revenue from oil and gas sales, Putin can’t run his government. He can’t fund his military. He can’t wage war in Ukraine.
Revenues from Russia’s oil and gas industry account for roughly 50% of Russia’s federal budget. They are far and away Putin’s greatest source of cash. The Russian oil and gas sector makes up about 20 per cent of the country’s GDP.
Waging war in Ukraine is not cheap. Estimates are that Russia spends $300 million to $500 million every day in Ukraine. That puts the annual cost for the war to Russia at $67 billion. Russia invaded Ukraine three and one-half years ago.
India buys 28% of Russia’s oil. That’s worth $50.28 billion a year. Trump has now told India that if it does not stop buying Russian oil, it will face 50% tariffs on its exports to the United States. That means disaster for every Indian industry selling here or hoping to sell here.
The Indians aren’t happy.