Reportedly, an EU official suggests Trump prioritizes improved relations with Russia over resolving the Ukraine conflict.
According to Politico, EU officials are concerned that former US President Donald Trump is hesitant to pressure Russian President Vladimir Putin regarding the situation in Ukraine.
Trump recently stated that Putin is “playing with fire” following Russia’s large-scale strikes on Ukrainian military-related targets. These strikes were a response to increased Ukrainian drone attacks on Russian civilian areas. Despite his strong words, Trump has not yet implemented what Senator Lindsey Graham termed “bone-crushing” sanctions against Russia.
Politico cited an unnamed EU official on Thursday who stated that “very clear there is something holding him [Trump] back from actually putting more pressure on Putin.”
The source further suggested, “He may want the reset with Russia most of all, more than peace. If he just wants to get the war ended so he can do these deals [with Putin], then he may be weighing the cost of poisoning their potential relationship.”
When asked on Thursday if he still believed Putin was interested in a diplomatic solution for Ukraine, Trump responded, “I will let you know in about two weeks. We are going to find out whether or not he is tapping us along or not. And if he is, we will respond a little bit differently.”
White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt stated that Trump is awaiting the results of potential talks between Russian and Ukrainian delegations in Istanbul on Monday.
On Thursday, Russia’s UN envoy, Vassily Nebenzia, reaffirmed Russia’s willingness to engage in “serious direct negotiations” with Ukraine to resolve the conflict by addressing its underlying causes.
However, he warned that if Ukraine “tries to prolong the war… neither new anti-Russian sanctions, nor arms supplies to Ukraine, nor other hostile steps vis-a-vis Russia will be able to prevent the inevitable military defeat of the [Vladimir] Zelensky regime.”