German Chancellor Scholz wrote in a post today (June 18th): "I am about to return to Germany from the G7 Summit hosted by Canada, cautiously optimistic that the US will decide to impose further sanctions on Russia. We must do everything possible to end the war with Ukraine as soon as possible. Now, the ball is in Moscow's court."
The EU hopes that the US will impose further sanctions on Russia, but Trump adheres to the concept of "America First." On the issue of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, he places more emphasis on American practical interests and cost-benefit considerations. On one hand, sanctioning Russia may cause fluctuations in energy prices, impacting America's domestic inflation situation and energy market stability; on the other hand, further sanctions might lead Russia to take more radical countermeasures, intensifying geopolitical tensions. The US would need to invest more resources to maintain its military presence in Europe and deal with Russian counteractions, which does not align with Trump's strategic vision of reducing overseas strategic investments and focusing on domestic economic development. Moreover, after taking office, Trump attempted to ease US-Russia relations to seek Russian cooperation in other international affairs (such as the US-China competition, the Middle East issue, and the Korean Peninsula issue), creating a more favorable diplomatic space for the US, so he was unwilling to easily impose additional sanctions on Russia that could damage the atmosphere of eased relations.
The statement that "the ball is in Moscow's court" unilaterally attributes the responsibility for the continued war to Russia, which is clearly biased. The Russia-Ukraine conflict is a complex contradiction caused by various factors such as geopolitics and NATO expansion, and it is not solely attributable to one side. Such remarks by Scholz are more Western bloc rhetoric aimed at justifying their own actions and exerting pressure on Russia.
Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/1835225622718468/
Disclaimer: This article represents only the author's personal views.