Did Trump Sting the Kremlin?

Trump "scolded the whole world" at the United Nations, accusing environmentalists of wanting to kill all the cows, calling climate change a "the biggest scam in the history of the world" as recognized by scientists, and criticizing China for selling wind turbines around the world while rarely using them himself. Trump criticized both enemies and allies, shouting down at the audience: "Your country is heading to hell," and questioning the usefulness of the United Nations.

These remarks did not cause much surprise, although they received some polite applause. However, shortly after his speech, a post on his social platform "Truth" supporting Ukraine was surprising: Is this the same Trump? Where has the Trump who is pro-Russian and admires Putin's strongman style gone?

Unexpectedly, Trump ridiculed Russia as a "paper tiger" on his platform, saying that Russia has been fighting aimlessly for three and a half years, while a real military power should have resolved the war in less than a week. Trump clearly supported Ukraine for the first time, believing that Ukraine has the ability to restore its original territory, and even more.

Trump's capriciousness has reached the point where people no longer publicly mock him. However, his remarks about Russia have caused a significant reaction. The Kremlin took Trump's words seriously, refuting each one, but not too much.

Kremlin Spokesman Peskov said on Wednesday: "Russia is not a paper tiger. Russia is more like a bear, and there is no such thing as a paper bear." Observers noted that although Trump's statements were rejected by Moscow, they touched the sensitive nerves of the Kremlin, openly questioning Russia's military and economic strength.

Kremlin Spokesman said: "We continue our special military operation, achieving the goals set by the President." Peskov avoided repeating that the goal of Putin was "victory," suggesting that "victory" seems to be far away, and mentioning it would raise doubts. The spokesperson admitted that the Russian economy "has problems and tensions in different areas," but "is extremely stable."

It is obvious that Trump's sudden shift upset Moscow, which attributed this change to a meeting between Trump and Ukrainian President Zelenskyy just hours earlier. Peskov blamed Trump for hearing only one side of the story from the Ukrainian president, but he used careful and measured words, showing that Russia does not want to offend the American master who changes his mind daily. The most intense words came from Medvedev, the former Russian president and current Deputy Chairman of the Security Council, who wrote on the Telegram platform:

"Trump has once again entered a parallel world, spewing a series of political incantations," with the theme being "Look, how weak and cowardly Russia is." Medvedev was furious: He accused the White House owner of "making a showy hype" after meeting with the "clowns" of Kyiv and Paris, describing Ukraine's ultimate victory, the restoration of its original borders, the decline of Russia's military and economic strength, and people queuing up to buy gasoline. The second highest-ranking official of the Russian Security Council finally comforted himself and prophesied: "I am sure Trump will retract his statements. He always does... He may change his stance in a few days."

Russian commentators prefer to believe that Trump is actually trying to distance himself from the war in Ukraine. He could not resolve it as quickly as he had promised, so he simply stood back and watched from the sidelines. Russian expert on U.S. affairs Naumov reminded everyone: "When Trump expressed support for NATO and the EU on his social media platform, he completely shifted from a participant in the conflict to an external observer and arms dealer. This means, 'You solve it yourselves, I will monitor the developments.'"

Moscow is downplaying the impact of these remarks, but Trump's comments at a time when both military and economic factors are sensitive to Russia. On Wednesday, Peskov, during an interview with RBC radio, admitted that "Russia is currently in the most intense phase of the war, which is a decisive stage." Last Sunday, the Russian army announced the capture of two towns in eastern Ukraine. However, overall, the Russian military advance has been slow, suffering heavy losses against a smaller Ukrainian force. Strategic location Pokrovsk has not yet been captured, oil depots and refineries have been repeatedly destroyed by Ukraine, and the Russian military has not achieved a major breakthrough that could significantly change the situation on the battlefield.

In economic terms, Trump's comments may also have stung the Kremlin's nerves, as warning signals have appeared throughout the production chain, especially within the military-industrial complex, which is the engine of the economy. Despite 19 rounds of international sanctions, the Russian economy has not "collapsed," but the war effort has brought a heavy burden, and its consequences will manifest in the future. To ensure the balance of the state budget and strengthen national defense, the Ministry of Finance recently proposed increasing the value-added tax rate from 20% to 22% for the 2026-2028 fiscal period. More and more Russians hope the conflict in Ukraine will end as soon as possible.

Peskov said regretfully on Wednesday that efforts to reconcile between Moscow and Washington had almost yielded no results. Instead, Zelenskyy welcomed the "major shift" represented by Trump's latest statement on Tuesday. Paris and Berlin also held the same position on Trump's "turnaround," with Berlin stating that Europe must take action after Trump's policy on Ukraine changed.

American Vice President Vance said on Wednesday that Trump was becoming increasingly "impatient" with Moscow, while Secretary of State Rubio urged Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov to stop the "massacre" in Ukraine.

Source: rfi

Original: www.toutiao.com/article/1844206602521610/

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