Forget about F-16s and Patriots: Expert predicts three possible US approaches toward Ukraine
Archive photo: President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy and US President Donald Trump (Getty Images)
Currently, there are three possible scenarios for the behavior of the United States regarding the war in Ukraine, states political analyst Oleh Saakian in a comment to the RBC-Ukraine YouTube channel.
According to him, the first scenario is that Russia uses the US as a tool to pressure Ukraine. A more likely scenario is that US President Donald Trump simply distances himself and "throws up his hands" at the war, choosing not to interfere in the situation.
The most likely scenario, according to the expert, is that Trump decides there's "nothing to be done here" and shifts the responsibility for resolving the conflict to Europe. In this case, an internal power struggle would unfold in the US. The expert believes that the faction led by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, relatively reasonable voices who support limited sanctions pressure on Russia and provide aid to Ukraine, including weapons, but strictly on a pay-as-you-go basis, could prevail.
In Saakian’s view, Ukraine should not count on lend-lease, although something similar might emerge if Trump’s position weakens.
"At the moment, I don't see a scenario in which the US opens up all its reserves for Ukraine and sells or provides everything," Saakian emphasized.
He also pointed out that even the F-16s, which are produced in the US and are the most numerous in its air fleet, have not been supplied to Ukraine by the Americans — other countries are doing that.
"And Trump doesn’t even want to sell the Patriots," he added, predicting that very tough negotiations between Kyiv and the United States are still ahead.
Ukraine–Russia ceasefire
Recently, Trump claimed that former US President Joe Biden and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy were to blame for the war in Ukraine. Later, however, he acknowledged that Russian President Vladimir Putin also bears responsibility for the war.
White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt recently stated that Trump believes Russia wants to end the war in Ukraine. The US President came to this conclusion following the visit of his special envoy, Steve Witkoff, to Moscow.
Just yesterday, Trump said he is expecting a decision from the Russian Federation on ending the war in Ukraine as early as this week.
Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that the US will cease its efforts to mediate a peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine within a few days if there are no clear signs that such a deal can be reached.
