Putin awaits U.S. presidential election winner to press influence demands - political analyst

He spoke about this on Espreso TV.

“Russia is creating coalitions around itself. When we talk about 2022, Russia was involving only Belarus then. Now we see Iran, North Korea, and this may not be the end. That is, Russia will involve more and more players in the coalition, on whom this or that country may depend. And at the same time, it will still have Trojan horses inside Europe, which we are constantly talking about and reminding. And the statements of Hungarian Prime Minister Orban and Slovak Prime Minister Fico demonstrate that processes are maturing within the EU that are very similar to the formation of the so-called Warsaw Pact,” said the Chairman of the Board of the Institute of World Policy.

According to him, as a result of the Warsaw Pact, the Soviet Union influenced some European states, and this is exactly what Putin is seeking.

“Firstly, Putin wants to split the EU, and secondly, he wants to influence part of Europe. So he is waiting to see who will come to the White House to state his claim to this or that zone of influence. When our Western partners delay their decisions, they give Putin carte blanche (unlimited powers - ed.), so that he can continue to form such coalitions as Russia and the DPRK and continue to do so. Therefore, we need to convey this to our Western partners, explain it, and insist on it. I hope that the delegation of congressmen from the Republican and Democratic parties who came to Kyiv will hear these arguments,” summarized Victor Shlinchak.

• Earlier it was reported that in 2025, Russia plans to increase defense spending to a “historic high” and allocate a record 13.2 trillion rubles ($142 billion), which is 6.2% of its gross domestic product.
• On October 28, a report by the US Institute for the Study of War (ISW) said that dictator Vladimir Putin will be forced to change the way he wages war against Ukraine when the Russian economy reaches “overheating” due to the Kremlin's spending on new military personnel to replenish losses in the Russian army.