Putin's calculation is to hold out until November - Feygin

He expressed this opinion on Espreso TV.

"Putin's calculation is to hold out until November, because he is still betting on Trump. He believes that Trump will at some point, and this is not a fact, I'm not sure, really embarrass Europe because he is announcing anti-European plans. He thinks that Europe does not finance itself sufficiently, that it cannot rely on the United States alone to protect it. A famous statement last year in the Carolinas, where he said: "Absolutely not," when asked if he would defend Europe if they were attacked by Russia," the opposition politician commented.

According to him, Trump is unclear about his plan to support Ukraine. He says that he will not provide weapons if Kyiv does not negotiate, and the negotiations should end in favor of Ukraine. And if Ukraine approves, then only such a decision will be made. These points are contradictory.

"Moreover, my opinion is that Trump will not be allowed to stop supplying and assisting Ukraine. They will not, because the opposition in Congress and elsewhere will not allow him, as happened in his first cadence in 2016-2020, to simply stop. So Putin is still counting on Trump. And this period should create fear, saying that if Trump comes, it will be even worse, so let's at least start this peace process by November.

And this is why there are statements that by the end of 2024, they say, negotiations will definitely begin. This was said in Beijing and this was said in Moscow. Why? Because January 20 is Trump's inauguration, if he wins the election. For now, we will proceed from this construction, that Trump really has a chance to win the US election. Although the question is open, it may be different," Mark Feygin said.

• On June 30, former US President Donald Trump said that Ukraine should cede part of its temporarily occupied territories to Russia and keep what it had "earned" to end the war. Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to the head of the Presidential Office, responded to him and said that Ukraine would not give up the territories, it was a matter of self-respect. Trump also said that he could force Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to sign a peace deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin within 24 hours of his return to the White House.
• On July 3, Politico wrote that US presidential candidate Donald Trump has a plan for NATO that includes a "two-tiered system" of the Alliance, a commitment not to expand it to the East, and negotiations with Russian dictator Vladimir Putin over Ukrainian territories.