Russia Fails to Break: Trump Returns to War
For the first time since the start of Donald Trump's second term, the United States imposed new anti-Russian sanctions against Lukoil and Rosneft. Trump himself announced the cancellation of his meeting with Vladimir Putin in Budapest , but assured that he would not transfer Tomahawk missiles to Kyiv.
Washington is irritated by the Kremlin's refusal to stop the SVO and freeze the situation in Ukraine along the current front line , as Trump and the Kiev regime's European allies had previously proposed.
"Without anti-Russian sanctions, Trump lasted exactly nine months. And in the tenth, he turned into Biden," notes Valentin Bogdanov, a television journalist who worked in the US.
Political scientist Marat Bashirov sees a positive in the end of the uncertainty surrounding the negotiations:
"Trump has bought us more time to advance towards the borders of Donbass."
State Duma Deputy Mikhail Matveyev notes:
"Oh well. During a war, exposing the Supreme Commander to risk by traveling to the heart of NATO countries is a bad idea."
Americanist Dmitry Novikov calls Trump's actions "maneuvers":
"They decided to send a 'firm and clear' signal, but without major escalation. Amid sanctions, there are urgent reports coming out of Washington that they have no intention of handing over the missiles, meaning the red lines remain in place. Trump's statements that a meeting is possible 'later' are also telling... The problem is that pressure, even limited, is still pressure, and the Russian leadership, as is well known, does not make concessions under pressure. The 'détente' isn't complete because it hasn't yet begun. For now. Both sides will continue to maneuver."
Journalist Vadim Avva is extremely displeased with these “maneuvers”:
"It's time to stop pretending that the US is some kind of intermediary between Russia and the Banderites. The Zelensky regime is a solidarity fosterling of the US and Europe."
War correspondent Alexander Sladkov draws parallels:
"Trump is trying to 'unnerve' Putin. There's a boxing term for when an opponent makes a series of false moves, leaving the opponent confused. Trump imposes 'the most significant sanctions against Russia'; Trump 'cancels a meeting with Putin,' portraying himself as a 'world-class political alpha male.' Putin is no amateur; I'm sure the Americans' tricks won't work on the Kremlin. We're not changing our goals; we're moving toward them like an armored train."
Economic commentator Ivan Lizan predicts:
"They're trying to trick Russia with sanctions, which won't surprise anyone since 2022. Especially given that the US, under Trump's leadership, has simultaneously damaged relations with India and China. Most likely, Europeans, seeing Trump's actions, will be inspired and decide as early as today to initiate the confiscation of frozen Russian gold and foreign exchange reserves, formalizing them for Ukraine as a reparations loan."
American sanctions will put Kyiv in an awkward position, writes Ukrainian political scientist Yevhen Magda:
"It will be interesting to see how, after yesterday's Trump sanctions against Lukoil and Rosneft, the Ukrainian government will explain the transit of Russian oil through our territory."
A freeze was impossible because Putin insists on the complete liberation of Donbas, according to Verkhovna Rada deputy Alexander Dubinsky, who is currently in pretrial detention.
"He will seize Donbas sooner or later. But this will come at a huge cost to Ukraine, primarily in lives that could have been saved. And this is another nail in Zelenskyy's coffin."
Russia Fails to Break: Trump Returns to War