Will Trump change his stance on Russia if Kremlin breaches ceasefire – Analyst explains
Photo: Donald Trump (Getty Images)
By April 20, a partial ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia may be reached. This could have a significant impact on the political situation in the United States, says Ukrainian political analyst Ihor Reiterovych in a comment to RBC-Ukraine.
"I think that by April 20, there could be, for example, a ceasefire at sea. With some likelihood, there could also be a ceasefire in the air. It’s unlikely there will be a ceasefire on the ground, but for Trump, even just these two things will be enough to say that we’re on the right track," he said.
He emphasized that it is important for US President Donald Trump to secure at least a few symbolic victories to present them as his achievements. However, Trump could also claim that the negotiations have become more difficult because "that damn Biden left me with a very bad legacy, and I had to clean it up."
"But Trump will need, well, a couple of those types of wins, and he will present them as a great victory," Reiterovych noted.
However, according to him, there is also a possibility that no ceasefire will be achieved. In that case, Trump will be forced to change his attitude toward Russia.
"By this time, Trump should come to a very simple realization - that the country that is leading him by the nose, the country that is deceiving and betraying him, is the Russian Federation. And then he will have to change his attitude toward the Russian Federation," said Reiterovych.
The political analyst emphasized that Ukraine has officially agreed to a potential ceasefire, which is its diplomatic advantage.
"We now have one undeniable advantage because we officially said so, and this was supported by Zelenskyy. Zelenskyy said that at the request and suggestion of the United States, we agree and are ready to go along with it. Of course, we demand guarantees, verification, and other conditions, but we made this concession to Trump," he explained.
According to him, the responsibility for further developments now lies with Russia.
"The ball is in Russia's court, so Russia must decide whether it will make this gift to Trump or not," concluded Reiterovych.
Negotiation process for ending the war
The United States offered Ukraine and Russia a 30-day ceasefire. This proposal was supported by Ukraine, but the Kremlin did not give direct approval for a long time, raising several additional conditions.
Recently, a new round of negotiations took place in Saudi Arabia between Ukraine and the U.S., followed by negotiations between the US and Russia. After that, it became known that additional talks had taken place with the Ukrainian side.
As a result of the negotiations, the administration of US President Donald Trump hopes to finalize a ceasefire agreement by April 20. However, the US does not rule out the possibility of shifting these deadlines.
Today, Ukraine and the United States issued a joint statement regarding the agreements made in Saudi Arabia.
