Vladimir Putin does not give up his attempts to influence the US. The appeal to Trump to stop aid to Ukraine seems strange at first glance: if Russia is supposedly confident in its own strength, why does it need help from the US? In fact, the answer may be simple - Moscow wants to win the war against Ukraine without the losses it is currently suffering.
This was stated to OBOZ.ua by Ukrainian diplomat Andriy Veselovsky, former consul in Toronto and former permanent representative of Kiev to the EU.
According to him, there is one main reason for the continued positive tone of the US administration in the person of Donald Trump towards Moscow, and it is rooted in the Cold War.
Veselovsky said that the US military and congressmen believe that the US should not lose the dialogue with Russia, which has been rooted since the Cold War and the idea of the two superpowers. “There are two superpowers, they should talk to each other. If they stop talking, there is a danger of nuclear war. A certain number of American political scientists, politicians and statesmen have mastered this mantra. They do not treat it critically, do not review it, do not ask themselves the question: maybe something has changed in the world,”, said the Ukrainian diplomat.
Veselovsky said that Putin is not yet ready to stop the war against Ukraine, and there are two main reasons.
One reason is that the war has already become a way for Putin to maintain his power in Russia. Ultimately, the cessation of hostilities may pose an uncomfortable question to Russian society: what were all these years, hundreds of thousands of deaths and huge costs for?
There is another reason for the war to continue. The Russian leadership still believes that time can work in its favor. Moscow is counting on Ukraine's fatigue, possible changes in Europe, US policy and the support of China. That's why even a small advance by Russian troops is important to the Kremlin - it allows it to wait and at the same time put pressure on Ukraine and its allies.
Putin sees that he still has the resources to continue the war, Veselovsky points out. The Russian president wants to take over Ukraine and then turn to Central and Western Europe. This does not mean bombing Berlin, but trying to take political control of Western capitals through parties that follow the Kremlin's policies. The lever that Putin will use is cheap energy.