Putin 'buying' Ukraine's destruction from Trump until fall — expert

He shared his opinions on Espreso TV.

“It’s very unfortunate that Ukraine has to play along in this performance, but we have no other choice, we must continue receiving the remaining military aid from Biden’s administration. Trump is selling Putin an indulgence to destroy Ukraine during the summer-autumn campaign. Putin reached an agreement with Trump during a phone call that he would continue waging war against Ukraine at least until the fall. By then, the $61 billion U.S. aid package approved under Biden will have run out. At that point, Ukraine will be left without fresh U.S. supplies of ammunition and critical weapons. And Europe appears unable to fully provide the aid that the Armed Forces of Ukraine need,” commented Yurii Romaniuk.

In his view, this means Putin is essentially buying from Trump the right to destroy Ukraine until at least the fall. During this entire period, Ukraine will be worn down and disarmed, a process Putin has long sought: demilitarization, as the regular multi-billion-dollar U.S. aid will cease to flow.

“In the fall, when Russia’s offensive loses momentum, Ukraine will be unable to launch a counteroffensive due to the lack of new supplies needed to reclaim temporarily occupied Ukrainian territories. In my opinion, Trump’s services to Putin are not free. I believe each month costs at least a billion dollars, which Putin funnels to Trump and his family through channels established by Witkoff. That’s how Trump ‘helps’, not selflessly, just as he did a year ago when he blocked U.S. aid to Ukraine for six months. The same 2024 tactic is being repeated and implemented now. Ukraine is in a very difficult position. Through Witkoff, Trump has already made the decision: there will be no aid to Ukraine until at least the fall. Putin demands only one thing from Trump: ‘Do not send weapons to Ukraine at least until fall.’ And that is exactly what Trump is doing now,” the expert concluded.

• On May 19, U.S. President Donald Trump held a phone conversation with Russian leader Vladimir Putin. Trump stated that Russia and Ukraine would immediately begin negotiations to cease fire and end the war. The U.S. president also spoke with Zelenskyy.
• During a phone call with European leaders, Trump acknowledged that Vladimir Putin is not ready to end the war in Ukraine because he believes he is winning.