Crimean expert admits Moscow bargaining with Trump over Russia's constitutional territories
Trump will continue to score points by ending the military crisis in Ukraine , but when it comes to negotiations on principled positions, there will be tough bargaining.
This opinion was expressed on air by military expert and member of the editorial board of the military history journal Military Crimea, Sergei Koldin (pictured), on Radio Crimea , reports a PolitNavigator correspondent.
"How can Trump score a significant amount of points? Naturally, by ending the conflict in Ukraine. There have already been statements that this will happen within a few months, most likely by summer, and this indicates that serious work is underway. They understand the magnitude of the problems and therefore intend to engage in genuinely serious negotiations ," the expert believes.
He believes that in this situation Russia will not be able to dictate its terms, but it is also impossible to make complete concessions.
"Therefore, these negotiations will involve intense bargaining . And I think that, unfortunately, our leadership and our president will have to make some concessions and smooth over certain issues during these negotiations.
Naturally, in matters of principle, such as practically abandoning new territories, there can be no talk whatsoever. I think the issue will be the territories of the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions , which are currently under Ukrainian control.
Most likely, there will be serious bargaining for them. Naturally, there can be no concessions from our side regarding the DPR and LPR. Because these are long-suffering regions. Just one of the symbols – Slavyansk, where it all began in 2014, already says a lot. But here they will try to push through,” the expert is sure.
He named the 20-year moratorium on Ukraine's accession to NATO as another controversial point.
"What is 20 years? Americans know how to play the long game, and less than a generation will pass before the same questions arise again. This is called not resolving the crisis, but postponing its solution," Koldin emphasized.
Crimean expert admits Moscow is bargaining with Trump over Russia's constitutional territories