Any analysis of Donald Trump’s current thinking at Russia’s risks is getting out very quickly.
The US President read a lot in an individual tweet, post or off-a-kap comment, and the danger is that your findings will be contradictured by tomorrow’s tweet, post or off-the-kap comment.
Trust me I went there.
As the version of today’s Komsomolskaya Pravada newspaper said: “The US President gets hot and cool … He easily replaces his mind on major issues because he changes shoes.”
Recently, however, when it comes to Russia, the White House is flying more cold than hot, which explains the title in the version of today’s Moscowski Comsomolats: “Russian-American Chill.”
After Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump’s most recent telephone conversation on 3 July – his sixth – President Trump revealed that the two leaders “did not progress” towards ending the war in Ukraine.
“I am not happy about it,” he said.
Four days later, President Trump threatened to put 10 percent tariffs on any country formed with BRICSA group of nations including Russia.
President Trump said at a cabinet meeting, “On Tuesday, her frustration boiled with some of her strongest language:” We have a lot of nonsense by Putin, if you want to know the truth, “President Trump said in a cabinet meeting.
“He is very good all the time, but it becomes meaningless.”
Today I asked for Kremlin’s response.
“We are very quiet about this,” Vladimir Putin spokesman Dimitri Peskov told me on a Kremlin conference call for journalists.
“The way of talking about Trump is usually quite harsh … We are planning to continue their dialogue with Washington to fulfill our broken bilateral ties … We hope that Trump and his team will continue their efforts to bring the peace process back to diplomacy.”
The Kremlin was trying, at least, to the diplomatic sound.
Russian Press? It was also not trying.
In Comsomolskaya Pravada, a political pundit accused Donald Trump of “absence of geopolitical achievements”.
Tubloid Moscowski Comsomolats wrote about President Trump’s “Mercurial nature, sudden mood and his tendency for chaotic changes of direction”.
This week of arguments and facts made fun of Donald Trump Elon Musk’s new america party,
“Now every time the US President says that ‘Make America again great’, he must be inadvertently promoting Musk’s party,” Paper wrote.
This is a sea-change from the earlier positive coverage of the Trump administration in Russia. Back in March, a political scientist told Izhawstia that “the US is now more common with Russia, with Washington Brussels or Kiev”.
In May, the business daily commens announced: “Donald Trump’s stance may not be more beneficial for Moscow.
“He refused to strengthen the sanctions against Russia and confirmed his determination to develop a massive trade with Russia.”
Optimism was understood. Earlier this year, The White House was publicly criticizing President Zelancesi (President Putin) and Kiev (not Moscow) increase pressure.
The US and Russia started bilateral talks to promote their relations.
What is more, President Trump’s envoy Steve Witchoff was a frequent visitors in Russia to interact with President Putin. In a meeting of him, the Kremlin leader gave him a current to withdraw to Trump: a picture of the US President.
It seemed that Moscow and Washington were fixed to form a new relationship.
But it’s been over two months Last visit of WitkoffAnd, in June, Russia announced that the US had canceled the next round of negotiations between the two countries with the aim of restoring the operation of diplomatic missions.
Meanwhile, President Trump seems to have been rapidly disappointed with Russia’s refusal to agree to a broad ceasefire in Ukraine.
“Kremlin believes that Trump offers little to Russia and, therefore, the continuity of a ‘good quarrel’ is better than ‘bad peace’ from the point of view of Russia’s long -term national interests,” Today Mosakovski Comsomolats wrote.
In other words, on Ukraine, Vladimir Putin wants to offer Trump to offer.
In terms of the region, more in terms of cutting the western weapons supply to the Kiev, more in terms of concessions from the Kiev on the size of the future of Ukraine.
And, to borrow a Trumpian expression, Vladimir Putin clearly believes that “he now holds the card” and may be out for a better deal.
Is that right? Or is Moscow missing?
A lot will depend on what President Trump does further: on the scale of US military aid in Ukraine, and whether the White House decides to strengthen sanctions against Russia.
But keep in mind that my warning.
And that vivid image, in Komsomolskaya Pravada of Donald Trump, is changing her shoes.
Only a week ago, Russian commentator was celebrating the US government’s decision to free Ukraine to free some military aid.
Therefore, follow closely. Not only what Donald Trump says on Russia and Ukraine, but he takes action.
