Russian President Vladimir Putin has lost the chance to achieve a favorable peaceful settlement with the Trump administration due to his own ambition and unwillingness to make compromises, reports The New York Times.
According to the publication, at the beginning of Trump's presidency, he was willing to make serious concessions to Russia. The administration was skeptical about Ukraine's NATO membership, was prepared to recognize Moscow's control over the occupied territories, and even considered the possibility of recognizing the annexation of Crimea in 2014.
'We get a lot of lies from Putin, if you want to know the truth. He is always nice to us, but it turns out to be meaningless,' Trump said this week, radically changing his rhetoric towards the Russian leader.
However, Putin was not willing to go for a peaceful settlement. Despite Russia losing about a quarter of a million soldiers and its economy weakening, the Russian leader repeatedly rejected Trump's proposals for a ceasefire, continuing large-scale drone attacks on Ukraine.
U.S. officials believe that Putin wants to capture Kherson, Odessa, or even Kyiv, which is considered nonsense, notes NYT. Due to Putin's position, Trump resumed weapon supplies to Ukraine after a brief Pentagon pause, and Senate Republicans are pushing for new sanctions against Russia.
Ukraine is counting on the support of its partners in the fight against Russian aggression and on international support in restoring territorial integrity.