Any analysis of Donald Trump’s current idea of Russia will soon be outdated.
Read too much in a US president’s personal tweet, post or ready-made comment, the danger is that your conclusion will contradict tomorrow’s tweet, post or ready-made comment.
Believe me. I’ve been there.
As Komsomolskaya Pravda newspaper says today: “The US president was shocked and cold…he changed his mindset on key issues more easily as the changes in shoes changed.”
Recently, though, the White House does seem to be blowing more than hot about Russia, which explains the title of the current version of Moskovsky Komsomolets: “Russian-American Chill”.
After Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump had a recent phone conversation on July 3, the sixth of this year, President Trump revealed that the two leaders “had no progress” to end the war in Ukraine.
He added: “I’m not satisfied with it.”
Four days later, the President Trump threatens to impose 10% tariffs on any country that is consistent with the BRICS countriescountries including Russia.
On Tuesday, by far, his frustration was attributed to some of his strongest language: “If you want to know the truth, Putin throws our nonsense at us,” President Trump said at a cabinet meeting.
“He has always been kind, but it turns out to be meaningless.”
Today, I ask for a response from the Kremlin.
“We feel very calm about it,” Vladimir Putin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told me on a press conference call in the Kremlin.
“Trump’s way of talking is often very demanding… We plan to continue talking to Washington to patch our bilateral relationship… We hope that Trump and his team will continue to work to restore the peace process to diplomatic territory.”
The Kremlin at least tried to sound diplomatic.
Russian media? Not even trying.
In Komsomolskaya Pravda, political experts accuse Donald Trump of “no geopolitical achievements.”
Tabbed Moskovsky Komsomolets wrote that President Trump’s “temperament, sudden emotional tendencies and direction changes.”
The arguments and facts of this week mocking Donald Trump Elon Musk’s New American Party.
“Now, whenever the US president says ‘make America great again’, he inadvertently promotes Musk’s party.”
This is a change from the Trump administration Russia’s previous positive reports. Back in March, a political scientist told Izvestia that “now, the United States has more in common with Russia than Washington has in common with Brussels or Kiev.”
In May, Business Daily Comoros announced: “Donald Trump’s position is unfavorable to Moscow.
“He refused to step up sanctions against Russia and confirmed his determination to engage in large-scale trade with Russia.”
Optimism is understandable. Earlier this year White House openly criticizes President Zelensky (Not President Putin) and put pressure on Kyiv (Not Moscow).
The United States and Russia initiated bilateral negotiations to enhance their relations.
More importantly, President Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff is a regular visitor to talks between Russia and President Putin. At one of their meetings, the Kremlin leader gave him a gift to retake Trump: the portrait of the U.S. president.
It seems that Moscow and Washington are destined to establish a new relationship.
But it’s been more than two months Witkov’s last visit. Moreover, in June, Russia announced that the United States canceled the next round of talks between the two countries aimed at restoring the operation of its diplomatic mission.
Meanwhile, President Trump appears to be increasingly frustrated by Russia’s refusal to agree to a full ceasefire in Ukraine.
“The Kremlin believes that Trump provides Russia with less in small amounts, so from the perspective of Russia’s long-term national interests, the ‘good quarrel’ continues to be better than the ‘bad peace’,” Moskovsky Komsomolets wrote today.
In other words, in Ukraine, Vladimir Putin wants more than Trump is ready to offer.
In territory, it is more about Kiev’s concessions on the future scale of the Ukrainian army, and more about reducing the supply of Western arms.
Moreover, to borrow Trump’s expression, Vladimir Putin clearly believes that “he holds a card” can give better deals.
Is he? Or did Moscow estimate incorrectly?
It depends largely on what President Trump will do next: based on the scale of future U.S. military aid to Ukraine and whether the White House decides to strengthen sanctions on Russia.
But please remember my warning.
This vivid image changed his shoes in Donald Trump’s Komsomolskaya Pravda.
Only a week ago, Russian commentators celebrated the U.S. government’s decision to freeze military aid to Ukraine.
Therefore, pay close attention. Not only Donald Trump’s statements about Russia and Ukraine, but his actions.
