Trump clings to illusory Putin partnership for political gains — diplomat

Oleh Shamshur, diplomat and former Ukrainian ambassador to the U.S. and France, said this on Espreso TV.

“My reading of the situation is that Trump sees ending the war in Ukraine as part of a broader plan to reshape relations with Russia, which he wants to use to change the global political agenda. He will hold on until the last moment to the possibility of communicating with Putin as a partner, not as a rival, and certainly not as an enemy,” he said.

Shamshur sees no prospects now for the use of U.S. sanctions against Russia.

“Even though Trump must understand and feel that Putin’s ignoring his requests and his blatantly bold behavior can harm Trump’s brand and reputation as a top negotiator, his dominant focus will be to keep the possibility of dealing with Putin as a partner for political goals and to pursue illusory economic projects,” the diplomat concluded.