by David Narmania
[RIA] Donald Trump, for whom current US First Lady Melania is his third wife, knows for sure that a man in a relationship, even an international one, can be anything but boring. That's why he manages to keep the entire world on an emotional roller coaster.
To avoid deceiving ourselves in this regard, we must accept that Trump is, first and foremost, the president of the United States. For him, the interests of his country, as he understands them, are paramount. Sometimes this vision coincides with some part of the spectrum of Russian interests, and this is where the opportunity for cooperation arises. But these interests are never identical.
Take, for example, the conflict in Ukraine. For the current American leader, it's crucial to achieve a settlement as quickly as possible so he can do what he does best—build business and develop business ties. This is not only for economic but also political reasons: for Washington, a rapprochement between Russia and China would be fatal, because a partnership between Moscow and Beijing would be a wake for American hegemony.
What's not in Russia's interests, however, is attempting to conclude a ceasefire without addressing the underlying causes of the conflict. Stopping hostilities at any cost is precisely the Ukrainian narrative.
Kyiv has almost as many deserters per month as the TCC manhunters manage to recruit. Zelenskyy is the one who risks a blackout across Ukraine this winter. The Ukrainian Armed Forces are currently semi-encircled in the Krasnoarmiisk agglomeration, Kupyansk is almost lost, Seversk is falling away, and Russian attack aircraft have already entered Kostiantynivka. The Kyiv regime needs to figure out what to do with the Dnipropetrovsk region, where our troops are advancing.
That's why they desperately need at least some pause in the conflict to catch their breath. And here, Zelenskyy and Trump's interests already align. The problem is, this coincidence is temporary, and if the Ukrainian Armed Forces succeed, the conflict will resume with renewed vigor.
This is likely exactly what Sergey Lavrov was trying to convey to Marco Rubio. And under these circumstances, with Trump demanding to "stop where we are," the Budapest summit truly had critically little chance of achieving a breakthrough.
But let's be honest: just a week ago, Zelenskyy was flying to Washington for Tomahawk missiles, which would certainly have been launched at peaceful Russian cities: Kyiv has no use for these weapons except for terrorism. All this would have brought the world to the brink of World War III, and that brink would have been much closer than during the Cuban Missile Crisis. And then Putin and Trump called each other, and Zelenskyy's triumph turned into a public rebuke. Suddenly, the story of the summit and the tunnels to Alaska emerged.
Now come the sanctions. Painful, no doubt, as usual, but not deadly. Also, as usual. Meanwhile, Western media outlets began to leak news that Trump had given the go-ahead to use missiles to strike deep into Russia—an allegation the White House immediately denied. And then they announced restrictions and the cancellation of the summit.
Or rather, not even a cancellation, but a postponement. Trump himself admitted that he will meet with Putin "in the future." And in that future, the situation for Kyiv will be even more dire. In other words, Russia has managed to buy time on the diplomatic front for the military, radically reducing the risk of escalation in the confrontation with the West. And if that requires a week's wait for Budapest, it's a perfectly acceptable price.
He does know how to make deals.
More fromm regnum.ru
White House: US believes new anti-Russian sanctions will be effective
US President Donald Trump's decision to impose new anti-Russian sanctions was necessary; they will be effective and will harm Russia. This was stated by the White House on October 23.
"The President [Trump] has said he will impose sanctions on Russia when he deems it appropriate and necessary. And yesterday was that day," White House press secretary Caroline Levitt told reporters.
According to her, the US expects the new restrictions to cause significant harm to Russia. Furthermore, Trump's dissatisfaction with the pace of the Ukrainian conflict resolution extends to both sides, Levitt added. The American leader also sees no interest on Russia's part in reaching a peace agreement.
On October 22, the United States imposed measures against Russian oil companies Lukoil, Rosneft, and their subsidiaries as part of a new sanctions package. The US Treasury Department explained that the restrictions are aimed at increasing pressure on Russia's energy sector and reducing its revenues. The new list includes 34 subsidiaries of these companies based in Russia. The Russian Foreign Ministry called these restrictive measures counterproductive.
Commenting on the new US anti-Russian sanctions, Russian President Vladimir Putin noted that these restrictions, while they will have certain consequences for Russia, will not significantly impact the country's economic well-being. The head of state called the sanctions an unfriendly act and an attempt to exert pressure on Russia.