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But at what cost? If Trump cuts off funding for the Ukraine war, China would be more likely to invade Taiwan, which might goad Putin into broadening his war into Eastern Europe. Would the <\/strong>dominoes begin to fall?<\/strong><\/p>\n According to the AP<\/a>, Donald Trump said, \u201cThey\u2019re dying, Russians and Ukrainians. I want them to stop dying. And I\u2019ll have that done \u2014 I\u2019ll have that done in 24 hours.\u201d<\/p>\n This isn\u2019t just one of his endless boasts. He could actually do it. All he has to do is cut off all US aid to Ukraine. Everything Trump has previously said or done points to this resolution.<\/p>\n Trump\u2019s animus towards Volodymyr Zelensky is well known. As is his endless adulation of Vladimir Putin, and his dislike of America\u2019s footing the bill for Ukraine\u2019s defense.<\/p>\n If Trump did cut off US aid to Ukraine, it\u2019s only a short matter of time before the war would wind down. Supplies of munitions and other critical war material not to mention money would quickly be depleted. This would leave Ukraine in a precarious bargaining position. They\u2019d be forced to agree to whatever terms Putin demands.<\/p>\n So while it might not actually be over in twenty-four hours, it would be a short matter of time. Which could potentially start other balls rolling.<\/p>\n Chinese President, Xi Jinping, has been waiting in the wings, closely watching what happens with Ukraine and the United States. He\u2019s made no secret about his intentions with Taiwan. Xi sees Taiwan as an illegitimate country that\u2019s historically been part of China. In the past year or so China\u2019s been amping things up by asserting their sovereignty in the Taiwan Straits, conducting military exercises around Taiwan and even launching ballistic missiles over the island.<\/p>\n If Trump abandons Ukraine and allows Putin to have his way, Xi would see that as a green light to invade Taiwan. Because if the US would abandon one ally, it makes it more likely they would abandon another. So Xi would be led to believe the consequences to China could be minimal.<\/p>\n Trump has not stated conclusively whether he would defend Taiwan. What he has said suggests he\u2019s leaning against helping. As reported in CNN Business<\/a>, Trump said, \u201cTaiwan should pay us for defense. You know, we\u2019re no different than an insurance company. Taiwan doesn\u2019t give us anything,\u201d he said, while suggesting that the US would have difficulty defending the island because of its distance, stating \u201cTaiwan is 9,500 miles away (from the US). It\u2019s 68 miles away from China.\u201d<\/p>\n