Why Trump tries to avoid conflict with Putin: Expert's explanation
Photo: Donald Trump, 47th President of the United States, and Vladimir Putin, Russian President (collage by RBC-Ukraine)
The head of the White House, Donald Trump, has a peculiar approach to differentiating whom and how to deal with. Regarding President Vladimir Putin, the Republican continues to apply pressure, but in a targeted manner, states political analyst Volodymyr Fesenko in a comment to RBC-Ukraine's YouTube channel.
As Fesenko explained, there are "sharks" with whom one must be more cautious and follow certain safety rules to avoid direct conflict. In Washington’s case, this rule does not apply to countries that are dependent on the US.
"We (Ukraine – ed.) rely on the US for arms supplies and satellite intelligence. Canada is economically interconnected with the US, and he applies pressure. Europe is also now at risk of an economic trade war," the expert added.
According to Fesenko, the situation with Putin is different. Trump continues to pressure the Kremlin leader, but in a targeted manner to avoid provoking conflict while maintaining the negotiation game. This includes measures such as extending sanctions against Russia or resuming arms supplies to Ukraine.
"He (Trump – ed.) might get angry, I don’t rule it out. He could take offense at Putin. Trump is generally sensitive, so this risk exists. But that would lead to him becoming disillusioned with Putin, losing trust in him, and the negotiation process could simply stop. However, for now, I think Putin will do everything possible not to anger Trump. Unfortunately, psychologically, the head of the White House is falling into this trap," the expert noted.
Clash at the White House
On February 28, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited Washington. During negotiations with Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance at the White House, a dispute arose over the full-scale war and Kyiv’s alleged "ingratitude." Following this, Zelenskyy left the White House early, while Trump accused him of supposedly being unwilling to seek peace.
By March 5, the White House announced that Ukraine and the US were discussing the date and location for talks on ending the war. The delegations met on March 11.
