Putin discredits Trump’s arguments

Numerous rounds of negotiations can be held with Trump's team, but Putin has invalidated all American arguments about why Ukraine should listen to Washington.

It should be noted that the Americans' mantra was the belief that by giving the Russians what they looted, they would be satisfied and rush to ally with the U.S., betraying China. Putin made it clear: he is interested in the complete destruction of Ukraine. Nothing new. He used to say this under Biden, but now it's checkmate for the White House under Trump.

Against this backdrop, the agreement handed over by the U.S. completely loses its meaning, as it becomes clear that Washington has no real means of bringing Putin to the negotiation table for constructive talks.

This leaves Trump with several scenarios.

The first is simply to give away all of the American strategic interests to Putin, playing along with him. In simple terms, essentially becoming a party to the conflict on Russia's side.

The second is to shift focus from the "Ukrainian track" to domestic issues and pass the entire "settlement" onto the Europeans.

And the third is to play directly or indirectly to strengthen Ukraine.

The elements of these plans are incompatible, as they contradict each other. The big question here is which lobbying groups have more influence on Trump. When we mention the names of government officials, it simplifies the picture of who Trump plays his card game with in a narrow circle. The people who truly have influence may not hold official positions, like Trump Jr., for example.

In Ukraine, the only plan so far is to strengthen its own Armed Forces. I have written about this multiple times, and I'll repeat it: the announced quick solutions that could have been implemented would have caused more harm than good, even in the medium term.

So, the only option is to stand firm. I thank every soldier on the front line.

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About the author. Viktor Shlinchak, Chairman of the Board of the Institute of World Policy.

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