© EPA/ GAVRIIL GRIGOROV / SPUTNIK / KREMLIN POOL Trump admitted that he misunderstood Putin's intentions regarding a peaceful settlement.
US President Donald Trump said today that he would impose additional US sanctions against Russia only if all NATO countries impose high tariffs on China.
Trump added that imposing tariffs on China would force Beijing to pressure Vladimir Putin to end the war. Despite his promises to end the war in Ukraine, Trump has recently appeared to doubt his ability to influence Putin. He has admitted to his confidants that he misjudged Putin’s desire for peace, a source with direct knowledge of the situation told Axios.
A month ago, Trump said that Putin would face serious consequences if he did not agree to a ceasefire in Ukraine or take serious steps toward peace during their meeting in Alaska.
But since then, despite Putin’s refusal to agree to a ceasefire or even to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Trump has not imposed new sanctions. Instead, the administration has shifted the responsibility for pressuring Putin to Europe, demanding that the EU impose additional sanctions on Moscow and China for buying Russian oil.
Recall that US President Donald Trump's confidence in his ability to influence Russian leader Vladimir Putin turned out to be too far from reality. The head of the White House assumed that his charisma and personal qualities would help convince the Kremlin of its readiness for a peace agreement.
This approach, supported by the strategic illusion that Moscow could become Washington's ally in the confrontation with China, did not take into account the actual changes in the geopolitical balance. Today, Russia increasingly acts as an energy satellite of Beijing, rather than a potential partner of the United States.
