“He’s hoping that Trump will tire of the conflict and ease up on the pressure. But if Trump follows through on these tough new sanctions, it could signal a major escalation in the conflict.”
For now, the world is watching to see whether Thursday’s direct talks in Turkey will yield any progress towards ending the war. But as tensions continue to rise, the path to peace remains uncertain.
“He’s calculating that Trump will lose interest and the Americans will cut off military assistance, and that will make the Ukrainian army weaker,” said the former US ambassador to Russia.
Others believe that the danger of the US president abandoning Ukraine has diminished in recent weeks.
Thomas Graham, seorang fellow terkemuka di Council on Foreign Relations dan mantan direktur senior untuk Rusia di staf Dewan Keamanan Nasional, mengatakan bahwa Trump akan kesulitan mencapai salah satu tujuannya utama — mereset hubungan dengan Rusia — tanpa terlebih dahulu menyelesaikan masalah Ukraina.
“Ada terlalu banyak yang dipertaruhkan,” katanya. “Ya, dia masih bisa meninggalkan Ukraina — tetapi jika dia melakukannya, itu akan terlihat terlalu seperti kegagalan.”
Pelaporan tambahan oleh Christopher Miller di Kyiv