Trump impressed by Ukraine’s successes, Kremlin growing nervous - FT
Photo: President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy and President of the United States Donald Trump (Getty Images)
Recent statements by US officials have caused discontent in the Kremlin. In Russia, officials believe the US is changing its approach to the war, according to the Financial Times.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that the US is allegedly stepping back from the role of an objective mediator and has "forgotten" about US President Donald Trump, under whom he had been gradually moving closer to Moscow’s position.
According to him, Trump’s reaction to Ukrainian strikes was one of the factors that irritated Moscow. Citing sources, the outlet claims that during the G7 summit, Trump was extremely impressed and enthusiastic about Ukraine’s recent long-range strike campaign against targets deep inside Russian territory.
At the same summit, the US president also agreed to tighten sanctions on Russia’s energy sector.
Meanwhile, according to the Financial Times, recent months have seen a shift in assessments of the battlefield situation in Washington. While earlier some US officials believed Russia held an advantage, there are now growing doubts about its ability to achieve its stated objectives.
At the same time, senior Ukrainian officials say they are seeing signs of greater willingness from Trump to support Kyiv and increase pressure on Russia.
Following meetings between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and US President Donald Trump, the Ukrainian side also expressed cautious optimism about the supply of Patriot interceptor missiles and the possible launch of licensed production of such missiles in Europe and Ukraine.
According to one Ukrainian official, during a dinner in Évian-les-Bains, Trump told Zelensky that he was impressed by Ukraine’s recent "military results."
After that meeting, Zelensky said that Trump and Rubio had, for the first time, reacted positively to the issue of licensing Patriot missiles.
European allies believe the shift in Washington’s rhetoric could open new opportunities to strengthen support for Ukraine and increase pressure on Moscow.
Donald Trump has recently been increasingly publicly acknowledging Ukraine’s ability to withstand Russia’s offensive.
In particular, the US president previously said that Ukrainian forces are "doing well" on the front line, despite Russia’s significant advantage in manpower and resources.
