The Wall Street Journal points out that US President Donald Trump's plans to end Russia's war against Ukraine as quickly as possible have proven unrealistic. Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky's team is now waiting for the White House leader to lose patience with dictator Vladimir Putin's antics.
Points of attention
- Former US Ambassador Daniel Fried highlights that time will work in Ukraine's favor if Trump persists in seeking a quick deal while Putin remains an obstacle.
- The outcome of the conflict hinges on Trump's response if he feels deceived by Putin's maneuvers, potentially escalating tensions between the US and Russia.
Putin can outdo himself
As the editorial board notes, Ukraine's main goal at the moment is to exit the war without capitulating to Russia and at the same time without giving up its economic independence to the United States by signing an agreement on subsoil resources.
As for Putin, he has not given up on his plans: the Kremlin wants to dominate Ukraine at all costs and prevent its integration with the West.
Against this background, official Moscow is doing everything possible to drag out negotiations with the US. Recently, Russia has even begun to claim that it will not accept the US proposal for a ceasefire, since, they say, the "root causes" of the war are not being addressed.
The current situation was commented on by former US Ambassador to Poland and Atlantic Council fellow Daniel Fried.
According to the latter, Zelensky's team is currently in a more advantageous position, as it is not dictating conditions to Trump and is simply waiting for the US president to lose patience with Putin's antics.
"Time will work in Ukraine's favor if Trump continues to push for a quick deal, and Putin (Russian dictator Vladimir Putin, — ed.) will be an obstacle. If Trump decides he has been fooled, he may react badly," the diplomat stressed.
