Trump praises Russia amid escalating attacks on Ukraine
First, U.S. President Donald Trump praises Russia for negotiations and scolds Ukraine, only for Moscow to launch a massive attack on Kyiv and Kharkiv a few hours later. “It's Putin playing the fool with Trump,” assesses retired Colonel Maciej Matysiak, former Deputy Head of the Military Counterintelligence Service and an expert at the Stratpoints Foundation.
As reported by the Ukrainian Air Force, Russian forces attacked Ukraine overnight from Wednesday to Thursday, using 70 missiles and 145 drones. Air defence shot down 48 rockets and 64 drones of various types. At least nine people died in the massive Russian attack on Kyiv, and more than 70 were injured. In Kharkiv, the consequences of seven rocket attacks are being determined, and so far, there is no information about casualties.
A few hours earlier, when asked at the White House about ongoing negotiations to end the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Donald Trump suggested that Kyiv is currently the main obstacle to reaching a peace agreement.
"I think Russia is ready and a lot of people said Russia wanted to go for the whole thing. And I think we have a deal with Russia. We have to get a deal with Zelenskyy. I thought it might be easier to deal with Zelenskyy. So far, it's been harder… but, I think we have a deal with both," Trump said. He indicated that he may soon meet with Vladimir Putin and suggested that it could happen in May.
According to Jerzy Marek Nowakowski, the massive Russian attacks on Ukraine are their negotiation tactic.
"The best way for Putin to agree with the Ukrainians will be to agree with the last living Ukrainian. The Russians are clearly escalating the attacks. It is a negotiation tactic similar to Donald Trump's. It's a mirror reflection." Trump promises a lot to achieve negotiation success. In contrast, the Russians strike and attack civilians to achieve negotiation success, says Nowakowski, a historian and diplomat, and former director of the Senate's International Studies Centre, to Wirtualna Polska.
In his view, even worse, the Russian attacks do not irritate Trump, and Russia believes it is not making any mistakes during negotiations.
"On the contrary. Putin shows that if Ukraine does not accept his terms, he can cause even more damage." Besides, the Russian leader wants to convey that he has no ambitions to occupy Kyiv. Therefore, he can bomb the Ukrainian capital. Previously, Putin wanted to occupy Kyiv, so he spared it. And now he has given up. And he says: "Please, take it yourself," the expert believes.
Nowakowski interprets Trump's words about Kyiv hindering negotiations as "an attempt to soften Ukraine."
"It aligns with Russia's direction. Just as former President of Russia Dmitry Medvedev once spoke about Georgia forcing it to peace. Of course, peace understood as capitulation. Today Trump is heading in that direction," comments Jerzy Marek Nowakowski.
Meanwhile, according to retired Colonel Maciej Matysiak, the massive Russian attacks and Trump's stance are the result of several factors.
"First, Putin is doing his thing. There have even been voices from the Kremlin that the previous attack on Sumy, in which 34 people died, was deliberate. I don't know if that's fake news, but I wouldn't be surprised if it actually was." There are no restraints on the Russian side. It is undisputed. War crime follows war crime, says retired Colonel Maciej Matysiak, former Deputy Head of the Military Counterintelligence Service and an expert at the Stratpoints Foundation, to WP.
"Secondly, we see what the Trump administration's approach to negotiations has been from the very beginning. It is weakening its own position." The White House's priorities are completely different from our assessment resulting from the criminal assault on the weaker party. The priority is not a just peace but a quick end to the conflict. There is also talk of "arranging" a Nobel Peace Prize for Trump. Additionally, Trump is focusing on business activities with Russia, Matysiak enumerates.
He emphasizes that Putin behaves today like the Soviet Union during Stalin's time, which brought all Eastern Europe into its sphere of influence.
"Like Stalin, Putin does not consider anyone. It could be said that attacking Ukraine was a big folly. But not in Putin's and Russia's thinking. In Moscow, the prerogatives are completely different. Putin believes that what he is doing is the best. That has always been Russia's modus operandi. It has always operated from a position of strength, exerting pressure and seeing what comes out of it. Any assurance that he wants peace is as false as anything else. It's Putin playing the fool with Trump," assesses the former SKW deputy head.
