Putin convinced war must go on, counting on Trump and summer advance

Military historian Andriy Kharkuk discussed this on Espreso TV.

"I don't know how strongly Putin is confident in victory, but he certainly knows that he can't stop this war. There are several internal Russian reasons for this. Undoubtedly, after Donald Trump's victory in the U.S. presidential elections, Putin's confidence has increased. Ultimately, the resources of North Korea and the support of China also give him confidence that this war must continue. So, undoubtedly, Putin expects a quick victory over Ukraine, amidst the uncertainty of Trump's administration's policies," explained Kharkuk.

The historian noted that Putin is counting on achieving his goals during the summer offensive of the Russian army.

"Moreover, Putin is being fed information that he wants to hear. He will never learn the truth about what is happening on the battlefield. This, by the way, also applies to Trump. In this situation, it is quite likely that Putin sincerely wants to believe that he will manage to defeat Ukraine. He is counting on achieving his goals with this summer offensive by the Russian occupation army," he concluded.

• On Thursday, July 3, Trump had a phone call with Russian leader Vladimir Putin. The U.S. leader raised the issue of ending the war in Ukraine. Meanwhile, the Kremlin head said Moscow "continues to seek a negotiated solution to the Ukrainian conflict."
• On Friday, July 4, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had a phone call with U.S. President Donald Trump, discussing air defense and sky protection.