Following his last phone conversation with Russian dictator Vladimir Putin, US President Donald Trump took a position that was most favorable to Moscow. He actually supported the Russian formula of “negotiations first, then a ceasefire,” refused to increase sanctions against Russia, and reaffirmed his determination to develop “large-scale trade” with it. Talks about the ability to end the war in Ukraine in one day, the art of “great deals” and Donald Trump’s “personality power” have been forgotten.
In a conversation with European leaders and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy after his conversation with Putin, Trump not only made it clear that he could abandon his peacekeeping efforts, but also that he did not intend to put additional pressure on Moscow regarding new sanctions while bilateral talks between Russia and Ukraine were ongoing. The American president said that Putin will present a “peace memorandum” with his terms for a ceasefire and an end to the war, adding that he asked him to present “something that people can agree to,” not a proposal that will be immediately rejected. According to US Secretary of State Rubio, the administration hopes that Russia will provide a broad list of conditions for a ceasefire this week.
The main topic of the last few days has been the call between Trump and Putin, as well as the subsequent statements by the Russian dictator and the President of the United States. A little over a week ago, Trump, along with other Western leaders, threatened to impose new sanctions on Russia if it did not immediately cease fire, and now he has a new position on the war in Ukraine – “it’s not my problem,” and Russia and Ukraine should negotiate among themselves, and there will be no pressure on Russia from the United States.
– Today, there are two main groups of reactions to this event: the first is “everything is lost,” and the second is “what did you expect from this conversation.” And here, from my point of view, there are several important points. First, Donald Trump failed this conversation, like all the previous ones. The reason is his complete unpreparedness for such negotiations. Secondly, for America to win this confrontation, for Trump to gain political points, it is necessary to have a radically different plan for dialogue with Moscow. And he doesn’t have one. Trump does not even have a basic understanding of how to act.
One more point. Trump said: “I’m going to leave the negotiations”. But at the same time, he claims that the problem cannot be solved without him. These are incompatible things. This shows the lack of a coherent coordinate system. These are fragmented, emotional, reflexive reactions. If we analyze the period of negotiations, telephone conversations, visits by Witkoff, meetings in Paris, London, etc., this is the stage when the new American administration is just trying to understand something. And one more thing. Trump’s figure in US foreign policy is certainly important, but not decisive. Look at this: Trump says one thing, and the Senate passes a resolution on the return of abducted children. But the main thing is that the preamble emphasizes the just peace that Ukraine is seeking. And this document has received tremendous support. So, as we have said many times before: Ukraine should work with the US government, not just with Trump.
– The absence of a new G7 resolution does not cancel the previous ones. They all remain in force. But note that neither Trump, nor the Europeans, nor Ukraine’s military and political leadership mention the UN General Assembly resolutions adopted since the fall of 2022. And this is not the G7 or the G20. This is the support of 140, 110 countries. These resolutions clearly state the assessment of Russia’s actions, the demand for assistance to Ukraine, and support for the peace formulas proposed by President Zelensky. They are silent about this, and these documents are the basis. I am not going to “whitewash” either Trump or the United States. On the contrary, I repeat what I said earlier: Trump has shown his helplessness, he is simply unable to influence the situation. Even the Europeans have chewed him out on how to deal with Putin, and he couldn’t swallow it. In his conversation with Putin, according to the Russian dictator’s aide Ushakov and other sources, Trump was powerless. This is no accident. In Europe, the same evening, they started talking about the need for negotiations: Russia, the United States, Europe, Ukraine. This is the answer to Trump. He said, “We explained everything to you, but you didn’t understand.
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