Putin will never be able to force Trump to abandon Ukraine’s key interests – diplomat Bryza

He shared his opinions in an interview on Espreso.

"Trump will not be pressured by anyone to do something he does not believe in. He does not want a confrontation with Putin, but I think Trump believes that Putin is ultimately weak because Russia's economy is in disastrous shape. Yes, the Russian economy has continued to grow, but it is breaking down. As we all know, the entire economy has now been redesigned solely for military production. That may work for a while, but it is setting Russia up for total economic failure in the coming years. When that happens, Russia will no longer be able to meet the basic needs of its people, as has happened many times in Russian history," Bryza said.

The diplomat stressed that a Trump administration would try to end the Russia-Ukraine war quickly to focus on other strategic priorities. However, Bryza believes Trump won’t let Putin have too much influence over the process.

"As I think we all realize, at least in your part of the world and in mine, Russian history has shown that when a war is unsuccessful, political upheaval follows. I believe Putin understands this, and Trump's team recognizes it as well. They are threatening Putin with an economic collapse that could lead to political unrest and ultimately endanger his hold on power. There is a psychological battle at play here, and I do not think Putin could ever push Trump into doing anything. Trump sees himself as infinitely stronger than Putin. He views Putin as the weaker party in this relationship and is willing to intimidate him. I used to worry that Trump might negotiate a deal behind Ukraine’s back during his first administration because he overestimated Putin’s strength. Now, I think Trump realizes that Putin is not as strong as he once believed and that the United States' most vital interests lie elsewhere. He wants to bring Russia’s war in Ukraine to an end and shift focus to other US priorities. He will not allow Putin to unduly influence him," Bryza added.

• On January 7, Trump stated that Putin wanted to meet with him but ruled out any meeting before the inauguration.
• According to Reuters, preparations are already underway for a meeting between Trump and Putin.
• Later, Putin’s spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, said he was open to meeting Trump without preconditions. Putin himself later confirmed Moscow’s willingness to engage in talks with the U.S. administration regarding the war in Ukraine.