Putin-Trump agreement on dividing influence spheres is possible - General Mussayev

He shared his opinions in an interview with Antin Borkovskyi, host of the Studio West program on Espreso TV.

"I am convinced that Donald Trump is currently in close contact with Russian political circles; he has maintained constant contact throughout this period. It was particularly challenging for him during Special Counsel Mueller's investigation in the U.S., which practically established close interaction between Trump - at the time a candidate and later the U.S. president during his first term - and the Russian Federation. There is abundant evidence of Trump’s interaction with Russian political circles and intelligence services," noted Alnur Mussayev.

According to him, the most compelling evidence is that even before the elections, European states and their intelligence agencies were already preparing for the possibility that, if Donald Trump won, he would take steps more favorable to the Russian Federation.

"The upcoming period will be very challenging because the team Trump is assembling is strongly pro-Trump in orientation. To say the situation is uncertain - I wouldn’t put it that way. The difficulties will be significant. Trump cannot end military and financial support for Ukraine in one decisive move, but he will present himself as an arbiter until the end. Aid will, of course, continue, but not at the scale Ukraine needs today - that’s roughly how I would assess it," commented the general.

In his view, "shuttle diplomacy" is necessary and very important. The fact that Yermak is engaged in these contacts at President Zelenskyy’s direction is also crucial. Such contacts should, to some extent, influence the environment around the newly elected U.S. president, including the future National Security Advisor and the advisor on Ukraine and Russia, already appointed by Trump. These negotiations and contacts are intended to help prevent Trump from openly supporting the Russian side.

"The overarching message is that in the future, there may be an agreement between Putin and Trump on dividing spheres of influence. Central Asia would effectively be handed over as a sphere of influence to the Russian Federation. The question concerns Eastern Europe, including Ukraine - turning Eastern Europe into a zone of Russian influence. These highly negative plans by Russia, which hopes to secure Trump’s, possibly covert, support, represent the most dangerous scenario the world may face in the future," Mussayev concluded.

• On December 6, Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi stated that Ukraine does not need intermediaries to communicate with the team of incoming U.S. President Donald Trump regarding ending the war.
• German Chancellor Olaf Scholz had a phone conversation with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump and stated that he could reach an agreement with the American leader on a joint strategy regarding Ukraine.