Trump fears China confrontation, wants Moscow on side — journalist

This opinion was expressed on Espreso TV by journalist Larysa Voloshyna.

"After meeting with Putin, Trump gave an interview to Fox News. He said a lot, and one could hear the hooks on which Putin holds him. This is not at all what others were paying attention to. I was very interested in watching his subconscious ideas. Trump said that for Russia, China is an enemy because Russian territory is very large, while China has a large population. This is the tale that China wants to seize Russia and populate it. It reflects what Putin tells Trump: that if not for Ukraine and dependence on China, then Beijing would actually be Moscow’s enemy. Trump, meanwhile, wants Russia as an ally in a hypothetical confrontation with China. Because Trump is not truly a fighter. He is very afraid of facing China. That’s why he believes that a U.S.-Russia alliance could deter China from an attack," Voloshyna explained.

The journalist noted that China is covertly conducting reconnaissance near U.S. shores and nothing can be done about it.

"On the eve of this summit, the American press wrote that the U.S. had lost the arms race to China, that China produces 20 large warships annually, while the U.S. has produced none in many years. Moreover, a few days before the Alaska summit, China sent five icebreakers directly to the shores of Alaska. Under international law, if icebreakers are designated as scientific vessels, they can approach right up to the coast. The American military and press spoke about these icebreakers and the fact that they could not be driven away. What’s more, the U.S. had nothing to counter them with, as it lacks enough icebreakers. On the one hand, they are only icebreakers, but it was clear to everyone that China was carrying out reconnaissance," she added.

Trump and Putin’s meeting in Alaska: background

Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin held a summit in Anchorage, Alaska, on the night of August 16 in a “3 on 3” format. The meeting lasted nearly three hours, marking their longest conversation to date. According to Trump, the summit was “productive,” and many issues were discussed, though not all of them were fully agreed upon, so there is no agreement yet.

The U.S. president said he would soon call NATO representatives, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and other leaders. He also noted that an agreement was nearly reached during the Alaska summit, and now a meeting between Zelenskyy and Putin is planned with Trump’s participation.

On the morning of August 16, Trump spoke by phone with Zelenskyy, joined by several European leaders. During the conversation, Zelenskyy accepted Trump’s invitation to visit Washington on Monday, August 18.

Trump said that after his talks with Putin in Alaska, and following discussions with Zelenskyy and EU leaders, the parties concluded that the best way to end the war is to immediately conclude a peace agreement, skipping a temporary ceasefire.

Following the Alaska meeting, the leaders of Germany, France, Poland, Italy, and the United Kingdom, together with Zelenskyy, prepared a joint statement.