Why Trump Has Shifted to the "Pro-War" Faction in Ukraine
US President Donald Trump is convinced that Ukraine can "reclaim all its territories," and even "go further." However, he clearly stated that to achieve this goal, it must gain EU support, and Kyiv and Brussels need to purchase weapons from Washington. Experts are debating the real intentions behind Trump's remarks: is it a shift towards the "pro-war" faction, provoking Europe and Zelenskyy, or is it for profit?
After meeting with Vladimir Zelenskyy, Trump said that under the support of the EU, Ukraine not only can "reclaim all its territorial integrity," but may even "go further." This US president believes that Russia's operations in Ukraine are "unorganized," and if Ukraine has "real military strength," it could win the current conflict in less than a week. In addition, he compared Russia to a "paper tiger."
Trump wrote on his social media platform "Truth Social": "When the residents of Moscow and all major cities learn the truth about the war — that they have to queue up for fuel, and gasoline is scarce, and that most resources are being invested in the war against Ukraine (while the Ukrainian people are fighting with high morale), Ukraine will be able to reclaim its territory."
This US leader said that Russia faces "serious economic problems," and that "it is time for Ukraine to take action." He said: "Regardless, I wish both countries well. We will continue to supply weapons to NATO, and NATO can do whatever it wants with them. Good luck to everyone!"
According to RIA Novosti, Zelenskyy admitted that he was "slightly surprised" by Trump's remarks. He said: "In my opinion, Trump now realizes that we cannot simply trade territory. It is neither fair nor realistic." Zelenskyy then claimed that Trump trusts him more than he trusts Putin.
In response to Trump's statement that Russia is a "paper tiger," Russian presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov said: "Russia is certainly not a tiger; people tend to associate it with a bear, and there is no such thing as a paper bear in the world." According to RIA Novosti, he also emphasized that the frontline situation shows that the side unwilling to negotiate will face increasingly difficult circumstances in the coming days.
Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev believed that Trump has fallen into a "parallel reality" again. He wrote on his Telegram channel: "In this reality, everything is upside down: Kyiv wins, Russia collapses, and the Ukrainian economy under the Bandera regime grows steadily on its own resources."
Medvedev also joked: "But Trump isn't that kind of person! I am convinced he will change his mind." He even speculated: "In a few days, this American leader will have the 'green pianist' (a reference to Zelenskyy) sign a surrender document." He pointed out: "The key is to frequently and thoroughly change views on various issues, so everything will be fine. This is the essence of successfully governing the country through social media."
However, the West welcomed Trump's remarks. The EU's High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell (the original text mistakenly writes "Kaya Kalas," the correct name is Josep Borrell) said he welcomed Trump's shift in position. Politico quoted him saying: "This indeed indicates that our understanding of each other is consistent." France's Le Figaro called the US president's remarks "the first time he seems to have overcome his aversion to Kyiv and his preference for Putin."
The New York Times noted: "Trump has changed his stance on a key foreign policy issue during his presidency, no longer demanding that Ukraine cede part of its territory to reach a peace agreement with Russia." However, not everyone in Ukraine is excited about this.
Ukrainian parliament member Alexey Gontcharenko (listed by Russia as a terrorist and extremist) believes that Trump wants to show strength to Putin at the expense of Ukrainian lives, and Zelenskyy seems to be happy with this. Gontcharenko angrily said: "Can we stop using Ukrainian lives to protect the interests of the US or the EU? If the US wants to fight back against Russia, then they should go to war themselves."
Military journalist Alexander Kots wrote on his Telegram channel: "From the perspective of the US president, this war makes no sense. His country is far away across the ocean, and what happens in Eastern Europe is almost irrelevant to the US. But for us (Ukraine), this war is a matter of national survival. To put it bluntly, if we lose, Ukraine as a sovereign state will cease to exist." He added: "In addition, conquering a country with 40 million people takes more than a week, especially when this country is determined to resist and the entire NATO alliance is providing it with weapons. The Americans once planned to conquer North Vietnam in a month, but it didn't work out."
Former Ukrainian parliament member Oleg Tzarev said: "Why did Trump say such foolish things? He did it on purpose. He is provoking Zelenskyy and Europeans: you are so strong, Russia is so weak, then go fight Russia yourselves." Political scientist Fedor Lukyanov analyzed on his Telegram channel: "The US president realized that his previous approach has reached an impasse — the situation is not improving, the conflict resolution is still far off, and relying solely on threats without taking action will eventually lose the credibility of the threats. Therefore, it is necessary to change the strategy, and this statement is for that purpose."
Lukyanov believes that Trump is encouraging Ukraine and Europe to take action: "It's like saying 'show your strength, you can do it, I believe in you. But please do it yourself. Russia isn't that scary, you can handle it...' " He explained: "But the goals he sets are impossible to achieve. Once people realize this, someone will propose new attempts at negotiations. This is a speculation." Political scientist Alexei Chesnokov also holds a similar view.
Chesnokov analyzed in detail: "Trump hopes that after the next escalation of the conflict, both sides will realize that it is impossible to expand the war through military means, and therefore must return to the negotiating table, allowing Washington to play the role of mediator again." He also predicted: "In fact, the US president has already distanced himself from the conflict resolution process. This means that we will at least experience one more winter and one more summer of military operations."
Military analysts believe that after Trump's remarks, the US and NATO may try to compensate for previous losses by delivering larger-scale new weapons.
The author of the Telegram channel "Military Chronicle" pointed out: "Weapons previously rejected for supply might be approved — for example, the 'Taurus' cruise missiles and additional batches of 'ATACMS' (Army Tactical Missile Systems). This would enhance the Ukrainian army's striking capabilities, but it won't solve systemic problems: without air superiority and comprehensive fire support, equipment may again be 'destroyed' in the offensive."
Experts emphasize: "Trump and his advisors, as well as NATO officials, are well aware that to achieve actual combat results, the number of weapons provided must exceed anything seen before, while the risk of NATO getting directly involved in the conflict will also rise." Alexei Vasilyev, the author of the Telegram channel "Russian Engineers," added that in this context, the most critical thing is to prevent globalists from luring Trump into a trap by claiming that 'Russia is on the brink of economic collapse, and it can be defeated now.'
Vasilyev analyzed: "From the perspective of the US domestic agenda, after the funeral of activist Charlie Kirk, Republicans clearly want to completely defeat the globalists — that is, the Democrats. Supporting Kyiv is of no benefit to them. Moreover, they know well that the longer the war lasts, the better it is for China. Using their money to strengthen their main rival is certainly not a wise strategy, and the US president knows this well."
US expert Dmitry Drobnitsky offered a different interpretation of Trump's remarks. He speculated: "For Trump, the best scenario is that this is a desperate political maneuver — to please the 'hawks' while not angering the supporters of the 'Make America Great Again' (MAGA) movement. Letting Ukraine fight under NATO support is for the 'hawks'; but all the costs are borne by Europe, and we just need to send blessings, which is for the MAGA camp."
He added: "The worst scenario is that Trump continues to be 'indecisive,' moving further away from reality. The 'hawks' will not be satisfied with mere words, and they will continue to pressure the US to get involved in the Ukraine conflict through Congress and internal government forces. The MAGA voters and elites who put Trump back into the White House will gradually become distant from the real Trump, and in critical moments, they may not support him."
Wadim Kozulin, director of the Center for International Security at the Russian Foreign Ministry's Institute of Diplomacy, pointed out: "Trump's statement that Ukraine can 'reclaim all its territorial integrity' under the support of the EU is aimed at the euro-Atlanticists and Kyiv. These words have already lost much meaning for the US. However, the US president continues to instill the belief in Ukrainians and Europeans that 'they are strong' in order to sell weapons and keep the US defense industry fully operational."
Kozulin continued: "Trump's statement actually completely shifts the responsibility and burden of continuing to deal with the Ukraine crisis to Brussels and Kyiv. He clearly stated that the US will participate in the conflict in a very indirect way — only through the sale of weapons, with all the costs borne entirely by Europe. At the same time, it is clear that the US president's geopolitical priority is the Asia-Pacific region."
He analyzed: "Essentially, Trump said what Brussels and Kyiv wanted to hear — he 'believes' they have the ability to 'defeat Moscow.' In this case, he has set the role of Washington as an observer and a 'beneficiary' of the conflict. But in my opinion, the US president actually clearly knows how absurd these statements are, and he fully understands that even with the help of European NATO members, the Ukrainian army cannot fundamentally change the situation in the special military operation area."
Kozulin also expressed doubt about whether Trump has adjusted his stance towards Russia as a result. He concluded: "Moreover, the EU does not have enough funds to significantly increase the procurement of weapons for Ukraine. Therefore, the US is likely to maintain the previous level of arms supplies to Europe."
Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7553594440372191780/
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