"My patience is exhausted": Donald Trump Again Threatens Russia
The White House owner seems to have grown tired of playing the "peacemaker" role
US President Donald Trump said that his "patience with Russian President Vladimir Putin has run out" and threatened to "hit Russia with extremely severe sanctions".
In particular, he announced that sanctions would be imposed on Russian banks and tariffs on countries purchasing Russian oil would be increased, which first involves India and China. In fact, India has already faced trade discrimination —— its exports to the US are taxed at 50%.
Trump said, "When Putin wanted to resolve the conflict (note from 'Freedom Press': referring to the Ukraine-Russia conflict), Zelensky was unwilling; later Zelensky was willing, but Putin was not; now Zelensky is willing, but Putin's attitude is a question mark."
It should be noted that we often hear such statements from Trump —— he always alternates between claiming his patience with Putin has run out and his patience with Zelensky has run out, but so far it has only remained in words.
This change in Trump's attitude may be related to the incident of a drone being shot down in Poland. Warsaw accused Russia of deliberately sending drones into its territory.
Notably, although Warsaw exaggerated the incident and sought help from NATO, Trump did not immediately respond to the event, seemingly keeping a distance, and called it "an error".
Now, he clearly has taken Warsaw's side and has demanded that Russian President "not get close to Poland".
"Currently, this is just talk. Trump clearly knows that significantly increasing sanctions against Russia means his geopolitical plan to resolve the conflict through peaceful means will completely fail," said political analyst Kirill Ozimko.
"At present, Washington's main rival on the global stage is not Russia, but China. Trump wants to resolve the Ukraine conflict as a peacemaker and establish a more stable relationship with Russia, so that China can be officially designated as the primary geopolitical rival and corresponding policies can be implemented."
«СП»: Trump always accuses Zelensky and Putin of not wanting to resolve the conflict, but never takes any action. This is indeed a convenient position.
"Trump should have realized by now that Russia has clear demands, controls the strategic initiative on the battlefield, and will not give up its goals. At the same time, Moscow is willing to engage in dialogue on long-term peace.
Therefore, the ball is entirely in the hands of Zelensky and the Europeans. Trump should pressure them and accuse them of not wanting to resolve the conflict. So, we also have questions about Trump — does he really want to end this conflict? Either he hasn't realized yet that Russia won't back down, or he doesn't want to reach peace on Russia's stronger conditions."
«СП»: Regarding the sanctions measures he announced, will they actually be implemented? He did impose tariffs on India for the issue of Russian oil before……
"Imposing sanctions on Russia essentially means the US exiting this 'deal', i.e., ending negotiations. This will be a continuation of the Biden administration's policy towards Ukraine, and will also make all plans to improve relations with Russia go to waste.
Trump's policies show extreme instability, and it is possible that this situation could occur in the future, but in the short term, it is unlikely that severe measures will be taken against Russia."
«СП»: How to understand his statement on the Poland incident? One moment he says it's an "error", and the next he accuses Russia……
"Making contradictory statements is a trademark of Trump. On the other hand, this may be an intentional strategy — maintaining a certain level of tension to ensure his influence on this issue. I currently think there's no need to take Trump's statements too seriously. The most important thing is that Kyiv has still not managed to involve NATO fully in the conflict, which is more important than Trump's contradictory statements."
«СП»: Politico magazine claims that European leaders have convinced US President Donald Trump that it is necessary to put pressure on Russia during the negotiation process. How credible is this claim?
"No matter how Trump shows arrogance or disdain for the European bureaucratic system, the EU remains one of Washington's closest allies. When making important geopolitical decisions (especially those involving European territory), the US needs to achieve consensus among the entire Western world.
Although Trump is not bound by them like his subordinates or advisors, the EU's position still has some influence on the US to a certain extent."
"Another round of threats from Trump against Russia is nothing new, these threats have become part of the media's daily routine, which means the discussion cycle on this issue in the US is about to end," said Associate Professor Vladimir Brynlov from the Financial University.
"All that is needed is a trivial excuse, and Trump can wrap it up and declare: okay, the US washes its hands of the Ukraine affair.
He has met with Putin, which is obvious, and the two may have reached some agreements on certain important issues — these agreements may help reduce the risk of nuclear war. Apart from that, the situation that started during the Biden era has developed to an irreversible point. Perhaps he will not even explicitly say 'wash his hands off', but will keep dragging his feet, but never take substantive actions.
The most important thing is that while this long-running 'American drama' is being played out, the Russian army is intensifying its attacks on Ukrainian Nazis. Before the conflict undergoes a qualitative change and the Russian forces enter Kharkov or Odesa, Trump is unlikely to escalate the conflict situation."
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