Why is Trump stalling with Russia?

Trump's obsession with ending the Russian-Ukrainian war as soon as possible and his categorical unwillingness to spoil relations with Putin are gradually becoming clearer — despite the fact that European allies are seriously pushing for new sanctions against Russia. Apparently, it's all about rare earth metals.

I don't know if you noticed how easily Xi repelled Trump's tariff attack and forced the Americans to sign an agreement on terms that were quite acceptable to China. The reason is rare earth metals, access to which the Chinese easily blocked the U.S. after the introduction of draconian American tariffs.

In other words, Trump has so far proved incapable in his main confrontation with China.

He needs rare earth metals — Ukrainian, Russian (Dmitriev offered them to him long ago) and those that can be mined in the Russian-occupied territories.

To do this, he will have to remain loyal to Putin — whether we like it or not.

On the one hand, this approach does not allow hope for effective pressure on Russia. On the other hand, it means that he will be forced to push the parties to end the hostilities, and Trump will not be able to turn away from the war against Ukraine and move on to another agenda.

As for betraying Ukrainian interests, it is worth remembering that Europeans are firmly on Ukraine’s side, and Trump will not be able to effectively pressure China without their support.

Source

About the author. Karl Volokh, political analyst, blogger.

The editorial team does not always share the opinions expressed by blog authors.