Global pressure mounts: next week could see united demand for Putin to end aggression

Former head of Ukraine's Security Service Valentyn Nalyvaichenko expressed this opinion on Espreso TV.

Newly elected U.S. President Trump and his team hold a strong position politically and economically. Trump’s phone call with China’s leader Xi demonstrated that the new U.S. president swiftly and positively resolves issues with the world's major powers.

“This means that Putin can no longer intimidate or make demands. Next week, the international community will demand that Putin stops the aggression and will continue to support Ukraine. The example of Israel and Hamas shows that the U.S. stance can lead to swift changes. Trump demanded the war be stopped and an agreement reached, and it happened. Similarly swift changes await Russian aggression. Nothing good awaits Putin,” Nalyvaichenko noted.

The newly elected President Trump stated that he would do everything possible to end Russian aggression and the war. Nalyvaichenko predicts that the U.S. president will begin with serious sanctions against the Russian aggressor, including oil and energy sanctions.

“His planned appointments for Secretary of State, Defense Secretary, National Security Advisor, and other key positions in security and foreign policy include ‘hawks’—decisive politicians both in foreign and domestic policy. Trump’s inauguration will take place on Monday. In the coming days, we will see how resolute the new U.S. administration’s actions will be. Putin, in panic, has recently tried to negotiate with Iran’s president to sign a comprehensive partnership agreement. This shows that Russia, due to its aggression, is now isolated, and Putin feels Trump’s arrival will put an end to Russian aggression against Ukraine. Putin’s ultimatum is part of Russian propaganda for domestic consumption,” he concluded.

• Earlier, Trump, set to assume office on January 20, stated that preparations for his meeting with Putin are already underway. “We must end this war,” added the U.S. president-elect.
• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy remarked that Putin might attempt to appeal to Donald Trump with the same political-military maneuver he used in 2019.
• On January 13, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov stated that there is "no substantive preparation" for a Putin-Trump meeting, commenting on offers from Serbia and Switzerland to host it.