US President Donald Trump prefers Russian President Vladimir Putin to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the long run and believes that Russia will win the war. This was stated to The Washington Post by a former senior US intelligence official, who requested anonymity.
„If you look at the long-term trends, he clearly prefers Putin to Zelensky. That outweighs any temporary reduction in tension with Zelensky“, the official said. According to him, Trump deeply believes that Ukraine cannot win because Russia is bigger and stronger and will break Ukrainian resistance.
The assessment comes against the backdrop of a series of decisions by Washington, which according to The Washington Post are increasing pressure on Kiev. Trump said it was time for "someone else to negotiate on behalf of Ukraine," and also refused to implement new sanctions against Russia, provided for in a law passed by Congress.
Pressure on Kiev and concessions to Moscow
The US administration also announced a deal to import Russian diesel fuel. The agreement was criticized by representatives of both the Republican and Democratic parties, who said that it could help Moscow without significantly affecting fuel prices.
In parallel, restrictions have arisen on the use by the Ukrainian army of Starshield - the military version of SpaceX's Starlink satellite system. Volodymyr Zelensky said that the connection delay is making it difficult for Ukrainian drones to operate on the front. Donald Trump said he did not order the restrictions, while Marco Rubio indicated that the Pentagon controls the system.
Trump and Rubio deny that the United States has cut off intelligence support for Ukraine. However, Zelensky said that Kiev again received no advance warning from partner countries before Russian strikes on Ukrainian energy infrastructure. According to the Ukrainian president, the attacks caused power, heating and water supply disruptions for more than half a million people.
Warnings of a change in US policy
John Herbst, a former US ambassador to Ukraine and current expert at the Atlantic Council, described relations between Washington and Kiev as having reached a new low. He said the administration's policy toward Russia and Ukraine looked bleaker than ever.
Dan Fried, a former U.S. ambassador to Poland, said Trump's actions appeared to be aimed at pressuring Zelensky and courting Putin. Trump's former Russia adviser Fiona Hill suggested the president may be trying to appease Moscow over concerns that Russia would increase its support for Iran.
According to expert Andrew Weiss, Trump's latest actions may be related to preparations for a meeting with Putin at the G-20 leaders' meeting in Miami in December. Meanwhile, special presidential envoy Steve Witkoff held talks in Oslo with Zelensky, Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre.
Sources: washingtonpost.com, apnews.com