From the UNIAN:
"Trump succumbs to Putin's "hypnotic influence," despite Russia's lack of victory, according to FT
Karina Bovsunovskaya, 10/21/25
If there were a Nobel Prize for patience, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy would win it. This is what Edward Luke, editor and columnist for the US, writes for the Financial Times.
"The Ukrainian leader's February meeting with the newly inaugurated Donald Trump went down in history as the most shameful case of school bullying in modern times. Zelenskyy had no choice but to ignore the taunts in the Oval Office. His resilience provides no grounds for pessimism. On Friday, Trump again warned Zelenskyy that his country would be destroyed unless he ceded some territory to Russia. Zelenskyy, as usual, dismissed this latest wave of vitriol. Has Trump ever yelled at Putin? It was a rhetorical question," Luke analyzes.
According to Luke, the Russian dictator could also have received several nominations for the Patience Award. Specifically, at the start of his full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, which Trump called a "brilliant" move, Putin's long-term strategy quickly became clear: he wanted to gain in negotiations with a re-elected Trump what he had failed to achieve on the front lines.
"Such talk was dismissed as far-fetched back then. But judging by Trump's actions since January, not his words, the Kremlin's gamble is paying off. By refusing to give in to any of Trump's demands, Putin has secured a second summit with him this year – this time hosted by Hungary's pro-Putin Viktor Orbán. Zelenskyy will have to work even harder to demonstrate the necessary tolerance in the coming days," the FT editor noted.
Meanwhile, Trump can't take it anymore. Specifically, on Monday, he said that of the global conflicts, "only one" remains. The American leader is known to believe he has ended the wars between Israel and Hamas, India and Pakistan, Thailand and Cambodia, Armenia and Azerbaijan, and Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
"In Trump's view, Zelenskyy's stubbornness has cost him his current Nobel Peace Prize. Like Gaza, Trump sees Ukraine as a commercial opportunity with a large expanse of undeveloped coastline. He views Zelenskyy's government as an intractable adversary who must understand when he's beaten. As Trump told the Ukrainian president in February, 'You don't have the cards,'" the publication's columnist recalled.
However, as Luke writes, Zelenskyy does have cards, namely, the growing support of a "coalition of the willing." Specifically, Europe will likely loan Ukraine the bulk of Russia's frozen assets, amounting to $200 billion, enough to tide it over for the next few years.
"In addition to European military supplies, Ukraine has significantly expanded its ability to strike oil refineries and airbases deep within Russia. Many viewed Russia's recent drone reconnaissance missions in several NATO countries as a sign of Putin's fervor. But his activities in the 'gray zone' could just as easily be interpreted as weakness," the editor believes...
However, the question still arises as to why Trump is so confident Putin is winning, to which Luke responded:
"Some believe Putin has some secret influence over Trump. Others say it's deep state propaganda. Whatever lies behind Trump's greed, we should long ago stop worrying about why. The reality is undeniable. Putin has fewer aces up his sleeve than Trump assumes. One of those aces is Trump himself.""
No comments:
Post a Comment