Trump unlikely to withdraw from Ukraine-Russia negotiations — diplomat

William Taylor, diplomat and former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine, said this in an interview with the host of the Studio West program, Antin Borkovskyi.

"Regarding the withdrawal of the United States from the negotiation process, first of all, I do not believe that Trump will back down from this issue. He has invested too much in the commitments he made as a candidate for the presidency of the United States. During the election campaign, Trump promised to end this war and claimed that he could do it in 24 hours. Although such a promise is obviously unrealistic, he put this issue in the foreground, and it became his main foreign policy priority. This is a topic to which he has devoted more time than any other in the field of international politics. That is why I am convinced that President Trump is not going to withdraw from this process. On the contrary, he will continue to try to play a key role in it," the diplomat noted.

In his opinion, if President Trump withdraws, it will be perceived as a sign of weakness and will mean that he failed to fulfill his own promise, failed to outplay Putin, and suffered a political defeat. 

"I don't believe he will allow such a situation. On the contrary, I believe that he will continue to put pressure on Putin, trying to force him to sit down at the negotiating table. Abandoning this initiative would be a serious blow to him both politically and symbolically. It would be his own "Afghan story." President Biden still bears the political consequences for the chaotic withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan. If Trump refuses to support Ukraine, it will also leave a lasting and painful mark on his presidency. That is why I am convinced that he will not back away from this issue, but will continue to look for leverage over Putin in order to achieve negotiations and stop the war," Taylor commented.

• On May 29, a representative of the United States at a meeting of the UN Security Council stated that if Russia continues the war, negotiation efforts on their part may be terminated.