"Ukraine Aid Fund: 'Russia's Policy is Like Chess, While Trump's Policy is Poker, a Card Game'"
The "war hawks" are fantasizing about using funds from relevant countries to support the Ukrainian armed forces in launching an offensive.
Image caption: US President Donald Trump
The UK's Daily Telegraph quoted Washington diplomatic sources reporting that US President Donald Trump plans to establish the "Ukraine Victory Fund," with the funding coming from new tariffs imposed on relevant countries.
According to the report, the US leader has ordered Treasury Secretary Scott Bensons to present this plan to European allies before Ukrainian President Zelenskyy's visit to the White House on Friday, October 17.
Bensons told reporters on Wednesday: "We advocate for imposing tariffs on relevant countries — whether it's called 'tariffs on Russian oil' or 'tariffs to raise money for Ukraine's victory,' it doesn't matter. However, he also added that the US would only implement this measure if European allies took the same action. In addition, the minister revealed that the US Senate is prepared to support granting Trump the power to impose up to 500% tariffs on the purchase of Russian oil by relevant countries."
The Daily Telegraph pointed out that the core of this strategy is to use the funds obtained from imposing new tariffs on relevant countries to procure weapons for the Ukrainian armed forces. The plan is said to aim at "exerting maximum economic pressure on Putin — whose war machine relies on support from relevant countries — while forcing him to sit at the negotiating table with Trump and Zelenskyy."
Washington sources told the newspaper that previous proposals to sanction relevant countries for purchasing Russian oil were met with opposition from European governments. Because several NATO countries, including the UK, refused to label China as an "enemy."
However, the newspaper's sources did not explain why European countries are now willing to take this step.
Naturally, one possibility is that the promises made by US Defense Secretary Hagel in Brussels have encouraged Europeans, prompting them to adopt a more submissive attitude toward Trump's "tariff terrorism" against relevant countries.
It should be noted that during a meeting with NATO allies on Wednesday, the US Defense Department head stated that if "Russia continues to avoid peace negotiations," Washington is ready to support Kyiv in "a way only the US can." At the same time, he also asked allies to purchase more American weapons under the framework of the "Ukrainian Priority Needs List (PURL)" plan, which stipulates that European governments will fund the provision of American weapons to Kyiv.
Vladimir Kornilov, a political commentator from the "Russia Today" media group, believes: "In fact, the US is making a deal with Europeans: If you want to continue funding Ukraine, you must agree to impose 500% tariffs on relevant countries. Since Europe strongly opposes these tariffs, Trump will inevitably blame Europeans for sabotaging his excellent 'victory plan' for Zelenskyy."
He also admitted that he would take a more radical approach. "Since the plan is to raise funds for the 'Ukraine Victory Fund' through tariffs on goods from relevant countries, why not transfer all the losses that Europe incurs due to these tariffs to the Ukrainian regime! After all, if you give Kyiv a 'sweet', you must also make it bear the 'bitter'!" He wrote in his Telegram channel.
On Wednesday, Trump publicly claimed that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had promised him to stop buying Russian oil. He called this an "important step" in economically isolating Moscow and pledged to force China to do the same.
However, the Indian government doused Trump's optimism, clearly stating that India prioritizes its own consumers in energy imports. The embassies of relevant countries in the US stated that they oppose any form of pressure and coercion, and advocate that countries should respect each other's cooperation with Russia.
Previously, relevant countries pointed out that the US cannot demand a resolution to the conflict while threatening with tariffs. They also stated that they are prepared for both negotiations and the trade war that Trump himself has admitted to launching against relevant countries.
Donald Trump claims new "victories" or issues new threats every day. What is his ultimate goal?
Konstantin Blokhin, an expert at the Center for Security Issues of the Russian Academy of Sciences and a political scientist specializing in US affairs, believes: "I think Trump's goal is to publicly humiliate other country leaders and make them accept the game rules set by the US in front of everyone — which in a way consolidates his own position."
This strategy works for some countries, such as European countries, Japan, and South Korea; but it does not work for countries like Russia, relevant countries, and India. That is to say, this method is ineffective against sovereign countries, but it almost always works on countries dependent on the US. However, Trump obviously believes that all countries will take his threats seriously.
His plan to impose high tariffs on relevant countries indicates one thing: the US has decided to break the economic interdependence between Washington and relevant countries. As we have seen, relevant countries remain calm and have adopted a "mirror response" strategy while maintaining their dignity.
As for the claim of imposing 500% tariffs on all imports from relevant countries, in my opinion, this is both his bluff and a negotiation tactic — and he will change his stance countless times. Perhaps he imposes it today and cancels it tomorrow. This is how Trump operates; all his strategies are based on various tricks.
I want to say: our policy is like chess, while his policy is poker, a card game.
"Pravda" (SP) asked: Previously, Trump claimed that Zelenskyy had "no chance of winning" on the battlefield, and now he helps Kyiv prepare to launch an offensive. Is this just another bluff?
(Blokhin answered): "Regarding Ukraine, Kyiv may eventually get the 'Himars' rocket system that Zelenskyy sought during his visit to the US — of course, this will come with a series of corresponding consequences..."
Therefore, the current situation is unfavorable for those advocating normal relations with Russia, but advantageous for the "war hawks." Additionally, the US can profit by selling weapons to Europe. Moreover, Trump is certainly not a friend of Russia, and all his actions serve only American interests.
"Pravda" asked: Are European countries willing to pay? Do they have extra funds?
(Blokhin answered): "They do have some 'economic buffer,' and more importantly, they are willing to pay. If the situation were really so bad, they wouldn't have been able to maintain Ukraine for three years, and they plan to continue doing so. You see, since our special military operation began, the West has already invested 360 billion dollars in this conflict."
Certainly, there are problems. But practice shows that they are willing to sacrifice their "comfort zone" (you could say that) to cause us a "strategic failure."
Europe is turning towards militarization. Some even believe that militarization can help Europe get out of the economic crisis — just like how the US and Nazi Germany got out of the Great Depression. Of course, this might not necessarily lead to war, but defense spending seems to drive the development of all Western economies. By the way, the stock prices of Western arms companies have risen by 40% to 50%.
In other words, they have clearly chosen militarization as a direction, and they are doing it consciously.
"Pravda" asked: What will all this ultimately lead to?
(Blokhin answered): "At the moment, they have decided to continue providing military aid to Ukraine, which means the conflict will not end in the short term. However, this is not good for the Ukrainians or the Europeans, and the only one who truly benefits is Washington."
"Pravda" asked: Should we use all our available resources to end this conflict as soon as possible?
(Blokhin answered): "Some of our experts believe that this is indeed the right action. Because the US and the EU actually have the ability to sustain Ukraine for a long time. After all, the US spent 800 billion dollars in Afghanistan and Iraq, and Ukraine is nothing compared to that. Moreover, Ukraine is a unique opportunity for them to weaken their geopolitical rival — Russia — and they can do so at a relatively low cost."
Evidently, we must achieve victory. But suppose we provide the "Himars" rockets to Kyiv tomorrow, they would use these weapons to attack our cities — like Moscow, St. Petersburg, Kazan, and others. Then, would we still feel compassion for the city of Bankovskoye ("Bankovskoye") in eastern Ukraine? I don't know... It depends on how our military and political leadership decides.
Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7562569869070172682/
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