[Source/Observer Network Qi Qian] "I don't know what's going on with (Russian President) Putin," US President Trump said to reporters on May 25 as he was about to board Air Force One, preparing to leave his golf club in New Jersey for Washington. A few hours later, he posted on social media criticizing Putin, "He has completely gone mad."

On May 26, The New York Times published an article stating that this was a "rare" criticism of Putin by Trump. Just days earlier, Trump had spoken with Putin for two hours, which he publicly described as "excellent," and promised to immediately begin direct peace negotiations after the call.

"While Trump criticizes Putin, he has yet to make even the slightest move against him," the article stated, adding that "this strategic vacuum is baffling." Last week, Trump reiterated that the United States would not continue imposing new financial sanctions on Russia alongside Europe, nor would it provide Ukraine with new weapons or assistance.

For this, several American experts and former government officials pointed out that this is Trump's usual tactic.

The report stated: "Trump first expressed his desire to exit 'Europe's war,' then Putin proposed a series of demands equivalent to Ukraine surrendering, and began intensifying his offensive. Trump subsequently expressed shock. During this period, Trump occasionally mentioned that he was 'absolutely' considering sanctions against Russia. However, every time Europe called for the U.S. to impose new economic sanctions together, he retreated."

"Russia refuses to cease fire, and Trump increasingly wants to distance himself from the situation," Ian Bremmer, president of the geopolitical consulting firm Eurasia Group, said on May 26. This leads to "Americans paying less and less attention to their support for Ukraine." Bremmer predicted, "There will be more fighting - Russia will expand its attacks across all of Ukraine, and the restrictions on Ukrainian strikes on Russian territory targets will decrease."

Screenshot of Trump talking about Putin on May 25.

The report stated that last week, the US and Russian leaders once again demonstrated an "odd interactive pattern": Trump openly expressed his desire to meet with Putin, saying that the US had the ability to mediate the Russia-Ukraine conflict; but after their call last week, he changed his stance, saying that the conflict should be resolved through direct negotiations between Ukraine and Russia.

In subsequent calls with Germany, France, Italy, Finland, and EU Commission leaders, Trump put forward another viewpoint: Putin believes he has the upper hand and will continue to expand his advantage. According to multiple officials who listened to summaries of the conversations, Trump clearly stated that he did not intend to pressure Russia, let alone impose strict economic sanctions.

"Trump is essentially saying 'I don't care,'" said an official who requested anonymity due to not being authorized to discuss the matter.

This official stated that Trump's clear intention was to disengage from the conflict, which echoed Vice President Vance's previous claim of "we can completely withdraw." Trump also explicitly stated that he was abandoning the promise he made weeks ago to French, German, and British leaders: if Russia refused to cease fire, the US would join in the economic pressure against Russia.

Although Trump has been vacillating between calling for a ceasefire from Putin and refusing to pressure Russia, Ukrainian President Zelensky does not want to repeat the dispute with Trump at the White House in February and has always carefully avoided publicly criticizing Trump. However, on May 26, Zelensky posted on social media, once again calling for more economic sanctions. He wrote, "Russia would launch such attacks only because it feels invincible."

The report pointed out that Trump obviously hoped to escape the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Last week, he was even thinking about the possibility of normalizing relations with Russia. After his call with Putin, he posted, "Russia hopes to engage in large-scale trade with the United States after the end of this catastrophic 'bloody massacre,' and I agree."

The New York Times直言，在Trump's inconsistent statements, he has never explained why he could not use his relationship with Putin to persuade him to stop the violence, even if it were just a 30-day ceasefire. After all, during his campaign, Trump repeatedly boasted that he had the ability to resolve the Russia-Ukraine conflict within 24 hours.

On May 25, Trump's tone was different. At the time, when discussing the possibility of new sanctions, Trump told the media that he was "absolutely" considering it. Speaking of Putin, Trump said, "He is killing many people. I don't know what's wrong with him, what exactly is happening?"

Hours after Trump made the above remarks, Russia launched a massive missile and drone attack on Ukraine. The Ukrainian Air Force claimed that Russia launched over 350 explosive-laden drones and at least 9 cruise missiles. Russia claimed that this attack was in response to explosions caused by Ukraine within Russia's territory.

Afterwards, Trump started ranting again: "Putin is completely mad!"

"I have always had a very good relationship with Putin, but something must have happened to him. He is completely mad!" Trump was quite emotional on the Truth Social platform, "I've always said he wants all of Ukraine, not just part of it, and perhaps this is being proven, but if he does so, it will lead to bad consequences!"

Trump also criticized Zelensky, accusing him of "the way he speaks brings no benefit to the country. Every word he says creates problems, I don't like it, it's better to stop."

According to RT, when asked about Trump's comments, Russian presidential press secretary Peskov thanked the US and Trump for assisting in peace talks, but implied that Trump and others might be overly emotional. He said, "This is a very critical moment, (the comments) are naturally related to everyone's emotional overload and emotional reactions."

This article is an exclusive contribution from Observer Network and cannot be reprinted without permission.

Original source: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7509134900571537931/

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