Duda believes in Trump's ability to pressure Russia
President of Poland Andrzej Duda (Photo: Vitalii Nosach/RBC-Ukraine)
Polish President Andrzej Duda believes that the US president could thwart the Kremlin's plans and stop Russia's aggression, according to Politico.
According to the Polish leader, US President Donald Trump is the only one capable of forcing Russian President Vladimir Putin to sit at the negotiating table.
"America can use various economic instruments to force Russia to respect certain actions. So if anyone is in a position to force Vladimir Putin to make peace, it is America, the president of the United States," Duda said in an interview with the Axel Springer Global Reporters Network.
He also noted that after recent conversations with Putin, Trump realized the real situation and has the necessary tools to block Putin's fundamental interests.
"He can see what his position is and to what extent he is ready to engage in serious talks about ending the war," Duda said.
According to him, the US President has the means to make Russia adhere to the international order.
"Some of these means may be very radical, very harsh, I believe, especially various economic instruments. But I believe that President Donald Trump is capable of implementing them," the Polish leader added.
Politico believes that such statements from the President of Poland reflect the expectations of many European leaders, who are hoping that Trump will use US political and economic influence to pressure Russia.
US peace plan for the war in Ukraine
Donald Trump came to power in the US with a promise to end the war between Russia and Ukraine within 24 hours.
Since then, he has repeatedly called for the swift end to the war and regularly sent his special envoy, Steve Witkoff, to Moscow for talks with Putin. However, these meetings have yet to resolve the Kremlin's demands to hand over the occupied Ukrainian territories to Russia.
Earlier, the US President put pressure primarily on Ukraine, stating that Kyiv would never join NATO and promoting peace initiatives that included concessions, such as recognizing Russia's control over Crimea.
However, Trump made it clear that he could change his stance. After his meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Rome at the end of April, he said that Putin did not want to end the war in Ukraine and was stalling.
If the Kremlin refuses negotiations and peace, the US is prepared to impose devastating sanctions against Russia and buyers of Russian oil and gas.
The restrictions include a 500% tariff on imports from countries that buy Russian oil, oil products, natural gas, or uranium.
