- One of the grandiose announcements made by Donald Trump during the campaigning for the presidency of the United States of America was to usher in peace between the warring Russia and Ukraine in no time. The usual rant, belligerence, lies, and bombastic claims of Trump are not only well documented but the whole world appears to be digesting it with more than a pinch of salt. The no-holds-barred campaigning has seeped into the administration aspects too ever since the maverick and an extremely unpredictable leader has assumed the most powerful office in the world. Apart from his pet tariffs ranting against several countries, Trump is invested in playing a critical role in brokering a peace deal between Moscow and Kyiv with some urgency thrown in.
PC: Anadolu Ajansı
- Of course, threats about imposing tariffs have already reached fever-pitch with retaliatory responses from the cornered countries. India is not spared either. The other topic that has generated lots of global interest is how Putin responds to Trump’s peace moves. Prima facie, Putin came out ahead in Ukraine peace talks going by the look of things panning out. But is Benjamin Netanyahu’s bombing of Gaza a Trump pressure tactic on Russia to fall in line with his thinking? Trump did make a deal, but it is Putin’s deal. America and Ukraine had wanted a land-sea-air ceasefire. It didn’t get anything close to it. Russia’s nod to a temporary halt on attacking energy infra is one of those small concessions Putin doesn’t mind.
PC: KSL News
- Same for technical negotiations for a maritime ceasefire in the Black Sea. Remember, Ukraine has the advantage there. And just a few hours after the call, different regions of Ukraine were hit by Russian drones. Optics reveal Putin is saying war is on. Therefore, he’s also saying the Trump-blessed ceasefire isn’t a deal he’ll sign. That’s why he is trying to do a deal only with Trump, bypassing Ukraine and Europe. He knows Trump is looking for a political win. Also, Putin himself needs something substantial for his home audience. Notice that he’s tagged on a demand that all foreign military aid and intelligence support to Kyiv be stopped to prevent an escalation of the war. But Trump may just have an ace as well as things panned out in the last few days.
PC: Anadolu Ajansı
- Notably, Israel’s re-bombardment of Gaza breaking a ceasefire there on the day of the Trump-Putin call may not be a coincidence. Israel’s military actions have already caused massive damage to Iran and its proxies. Iran is not only aligned with Russia but has also provided crucial material support in the Ukraine war. Already, thanks to Israeli offensives in Lebanon and Syria, Russia’s buddy Basar al-Assad had to run away, and Russian assets in Syria were lost. It can be safely assumed that getting Israel to pound Gaza again could be Trump’s indirect way of piling pressure on Putin. Russia may confront an unhappy choice: either hold on to advantages on the Ukraine front and lose more influence in West Asia, or compromise in Ukraine and retain a foothold in West Asia. A peace deal minus Ukraine/Europe voices is unlikely to hold. Trump must know this.
