Q: How many steps does it take to fool Trump? Putin: Three steps

Recently, US President Trump confidently promoted a "peace plan to end the Ukraine war", claiming that Putin was willing to make territorial concessions and that he was about to reach a historic agreement.

However, as the envoy Vitkov changed his statements back and forth and Russian forces continued air raids on Ukraine, this so-called peace offensive quickly collapsed.

Why, within just half a month, did Putin dismantle the high-profile situation that Trump had created and return to his own rhythm? Because Putin knows Trump too well. It only takes three steps to fool him.

The first step is "praise".

The psychological weaknesses of Trump have long been thoroughly studied - he is completely immune to praise.

As long as someone makes him feel "unique" or "unprecedented," he will get carried away.

Putin first arranged for envoys to release rumors of "territorial retreats," then let Vitkov inform the Americans that "only Trump can make this deal."

This was exactly what Trump wanted - he immediately announced on social media that there were "major progress" and said "peace is within reach."

The second step is "sway".

When Trump began to imagine a "land exchange agreement," Putin suddenly changed his stance and handled it ambiguously, no longer clearly mentioning the concessions, while simultaneously intensifying air raids on Ukraine, sending a strong signal of strength.

At the same time, Russia did not clarify the previous rumors, causing contradictory statements within the United States.

Vitkov said one moment that Putin was willing to withdraw from Zaporozhye, and the next moment that it was only a small concession.

This caused Trump to confuse reality with fantasy, continuing to maintain his "diplomatic miracle" without factual basis.

The core of "sway" is to make Trump believe that everything is under his control, while in fact, he is already stuck.

The third step is "abandon".

After the summit, the result was empty, Russia continued missile attacks and drone bombings against Ukraine, and Trump found himself in a dilemma: either admit he was fooled, or continue to maintain the illusion of "progress." Meanwhile, Russia could casually say: we never promised anything.

Original: www.toutiao.com/article/1841852488232972/

Statement: This article represents the views of the author.