Russia is ready for further military action in Ukraine, however, the Kremlin hopes to scope an agreement with Donald Trump, president of the United States, on ending the war on his own terms. According to Bloomberg, Moscow expects the US to weaken sanctions and halt arms supply to Ukraine.
Vladimir Putin, president of Russia, sees Donald Trump as “the best chance” for a beneficial solution to the conflict. The Kremlin hopes that it can bring Putin face to face with Trump, which could bring affirmative results. According to Alexander Gabujew, an expert at the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center, if talks with Trump fail, Russia will proceed the war.
Putin stresses that each agreement must take account of the "essential causes" of the conflict. The Kremlin has been questioning Ukraine's sovereignty for years, which may impede negotiations. As Anatoly Aksakov, a typical of the Russian State Duma, said, sanctions imposed by the West will not affect Russia as much as another countries that request Russian oil and gas.
Donald Trump threatens with fresh sanctions against Russian oil, which may encounter opposition from the Kremlin. Russia believes that Western restrictions are ineffective and that it has survived 3 years of sanctions without surrendering. An expert on Russian politics, Andrij Kłymenko, believes that the fresh restrictions will not be more effective than before.
In the past week Donald Trump admitted that he was annoyed by Putin's actions, criticizing the question of the legality of Volodymyr Zelenski's presidency. Trump threatened with “secondary duties” for Russian oil, but a fewer hours later he softened his tone, saying Putin “wants to make a deal”.
According to global Monetary Fund data, Russia is 1 of the largest oil exporters in the planet and the sanctions imposed by the West may have a crucial impact on the Russian economy. In 2022 Russia exported over 4.5 million barrels of oil a day, accounting for about 10% of planet oil exports.
The Kremlin and the White home have not yet confirmed Putin's plans to meet Trump, but the Russian politician expert, Sergei Markow, believes that specified a gathering could bring affirmative results in the end of the war in Ukraine.
It is worth noting that the war in Ukraine has been going on for more than 5 years and has caused the deaths of thousands of people and the bombing of many cities and villages. The UN estimates that around 3.5 million people were displaced due to the war, and the Ukrainian economy suffered losses estimated at over $100 billion.
Read more:
War in Ukraine: Kremlin hopes to scope an agreement with Donald Trump
