I suspect part of the CIA's /raison d'etre/ is to foment instability.
However, had Trump wanted to claim the mantle of having "defeated" Russia, he could have flooded the zone with US (and allies -- when we had them) support for Ukraine, effectively boxing Putin into a corner where he either resorts to the nuclear option (and worries about any global retaliation that might ensue) *or* backs down.
See below.
He'll now find himself the exemplar of The Wrong Way of doing things (even things that people claim to have wanted).
He could have one-upped "Obamacare"; instead, folks will quickly label whatever mess he comes up with as "Trumpcare", setting himself up for a direct comparison with his predecessor's "product" (likely unfavorably).
[It must eat away at him, constantly, that A Black Man is more revered than *his* (cough) accomplishments!]