German Expert: Trump Ready To Make Any Deal With Putin For His Own Gain

(MENAFN- UkrinForm) Stefan Meister, Head of the Center for Order and Governance in Eastern Europe, Russia and Central Asia at the German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP), said this in an interview with Ukrinform.

“...Trump has no problem with Putin whatsoever. He can make any deal with him. Ukraine is relatively irrelevant to him. I'll say that quite frankly,” the political scientist said.

Commenting on the latest agreements between the U.S. President and Putin on supplies of Russian diesel fuel and the easing of related sanctions, Meister said he believed the decisions were driven primarily by Trump's domestic political interests ahead of the U.S. midterm elections.

“I think everything with Trump is short-term. Very little is thought through for the long term or has a strategic basis. So, I assume that he is primarily thinking about the midterm elections to Congress. He wants to quickly bring down the prices of diesel fuel and gasoline, and for that reason he is moving closer to Russia,” the expert said.

In his view, this behavior points to a fundamental shift in the nature of U.S. foreign policy under the current administration, which is increasingly focused on economic gain and deal-making rather than values-based principles.

“There is no carefully thought-out strategy behind this, but this interest-driven policy, focused on economic gain and deal-making, means that Trump is ready to do business with virtually any autocrat, including Putin. If he sees a benefit for himself, he is ready to make any deal. This is a fundamental change in U.S. policy,” Meister said.

The political scientist emphasized that such a policy by Washington does not contribute to ending Russian aggression, while Putin does not regard Trump's calls for a ceasefire as sufficient incentive to change his own plans.

According to the German expert, the U.S. President has no influence whatsoever over the Kremlin leader.

“Trump has no influence over Putin whatsoever. I even think that Trump's chaotic policy and his attempts to move closer to Russia primarily provoke contempt in Putin. For Putin, this is a sign of weakness,” he said.

In Meister's assessment, without real consequences for Moscow, Washington's diplomatic initiatives are unlikely to change the Russian leadership's calculations or stop further attacks against Ukraine.

Read also: Europe may have to secure Ukraine's victory without U.S. support, German political scientist says

As reported, U.S. President Donald Trump criticized Ukraine's decision to resume strikes on Russian oil refineries in an interview with Newsmax, saying that they allegedly contribute to keeping global energy prices high. He also said that Ukraine should elect a different president to negotiate with Moscow.

Photo: AA

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