Trump's optimism is based on events in the Middle East, where he is credited with successfully brokering peace in the Gaza Strip and the exchange of hostages and prisoners between the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas and Israel.
The publication notes that Trump's meeting with Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky, scheduled for October 17, will be part of a coordinated effort by Ukrainians to shift the US administration's attention from the Middle East to Russia.
It is known that the presidents will, in particular, talk about the possible provision of American Tomahawk missiles and other types of weapons to the Ukrainian military. And before the meeting at the White House, Ukrainians and Americans will hold one more negotiation.
The journalists' interlocutor recalled that Trump often complains that resolving the Russian war against Ukraine turned out to be much more difficult than he first thought, but now his “administration is full of hope” after success in the Middle East, and “these calculations may change.”
Also, the White House representative believes that now the Russian Federation “should be motivated to sit down at the negotiating table” because of its military and economic situation.
He emphasized that if the Russians were smarter, “they would have quickly concluded an agreement to end the war,” which has already caused significant damage to the reputation of the Russian Federation.
According to Politico's source, the head of the White House “remains optimistic and believes that he will be able to convince both sides to stop the senseless killings.”
At the same time, the publication draws attention to the fact that a “breakthrough” in the Middle East could strengthen Trump’s “diplomatic self-confidence,” but Russia “has so far generally not responded to his peacekeeping efforts.”
Journalists note that, unlike the Middle East, where it was possible to influence the situation through “Arab partners,” he “has much less leverage over the illegitimate Russian President Vladimir Putin,” because the head of the Kremlin is less dependent on the United States and less susceptible to domestic political pressure faced by democratically elected leaders.
Context
Before taking office as president, Trump repeatedly stated that he would be able to quickly end the Russian war against Ukraine. He said that he could do it in a day, but after taking office he said that it was a joke. IN In early July, Trump admitted that he was no longer confident that he would be able to end the war.
After returning to the White House, as the media noted, Trump criticized Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky more than Putin, even called him a “dictator without elections,” but in June he began to change his tone. In early July, Trump announced that “very disappointed” with the conversation with Putin, since he does not want to stop the war against Ukraine.
Trump has said several times that he is disappointed with Putin, in Putin's response stated that “all disappointments come from unnecessary expectations.”
