Putin's popularity and war policies: The Times analysis

The British newspaper The Times notes that Russian President Vladimir Putin's political popularity has always increased at the expense of war. War has become a political necessity not only for Putin, but also for millions of Russians. The publication also notes that US President Donald Trump may have understood this.

No attempt to end the war in Ukraine

According to analysts at The Times, Putin is not getting closer to ending the war in Ukraine, but rather aims to achieve the goals he set at the beginning of the war. This may explain Trump's demands on Ukraine. These demands include “extortionate” conditions, such as handing over control of the country’s natural resources and paying back $100 billion in military aid from the United States.

The article explains Trump’s position as follows: “The last thing Trump wants is to get into a fight with Putin. He has great respect for Putin... That’s why he wants to be able to shift all the blame to President Zelensky if the talks fail.”

Trump and Putin are acting like mafia bosses

The article notes that the British government recognizes the geopolitical changes in the world, but does not yet fully understand their essence. At the same time, analysts at The Times compare Trump and Putin to mafia bosses trying to divide the world’s natural resources among themselves.

At the same time, NBC News reported that Trump is dissatisfied with Putin. According to this publication, Trump is ready to impose additional duties on Russian oil. “Just a few hours ago, President Trump called me and said he was upset with Russian President Putin and threatened to impose additional tariffs on Russian oil,” NBC News anchor Kristen Welker reported.

Trump plans to impose sanctions on Russian oil

NBC News quoted Trump as saying: “If we don’t make a deal with Russia to stop the bloodshed in Ukraine, and if I find that Russia is to blame for this, I will put a second-tier tariff on all the oil that comes from Russia.”

These statements demonstrate Trump’s ambivalent stance toward Putin. On the one hand, he appears to favor a negotiated settlement to the war, while on the other, he has also discussed the possibility of putting economic pressure on Russia.

The Times analysis shows that Putin’s political strategy is tied to war. At the same time, Trump's position is also contradictory, indicating that he is both willing to deal with Putin and willing to put pressure on Russia. The future of US-Russian relations depends on how the war in Ukraine ends. Follow “Zamin” news on “Telegram”