Trump's zigzags: why the head of the White House did not stop the war in Ukraine during the year of the presidency

More than a year ago, on November 6, 2024, it became known that Donald Trump, having won 279 electoral votes, became the president of the United States for the second time. Shortly before the election results were announced, their undisputed favorite addressed his supporters in Florida. "This is a huge victory for Americans that will allow us to make America great again.

We are going to help heal our country," Mr Trump said at the time, standing alongside his vice-presidential candidate JD Vance and other political allies. Even before the announcement of the official results of the election, Mr. Trump began to be congratulated by the leaders of countries around the world. One of the first was President Volodymyr Zelenskyi. During his election campaign, Donald Trump repeatedly stated that he was able to put an end to the Russian-Ukrainian war in 24 hours.

A little later, the American leader called this his promise a joke. Be that as it may, the Russian Federation's full-scale war against Ukraine continues, and Trump's predecessor, Joe Biden, on Sunday, November 9, criticized him, in particular, for the fact that he "destroyed" democracy and the greatness of the United States as such.

Immediately after his victory in the 2024 presidential elections, political scientist Oleh Posternak states in a conversation with Focus, Donald Trump created a huge expectation of an unambiguous peaceful settlement of the Russian-Ukrainian war.

"But a little later, for subjective and objective reasons, this colossal expectation dissipated and, as of now, Trump is avoiding the issue of a peaceful settlement in Ukraine, although, thanks to journalists, he keeps this issue in the focus of his attention. Nevertheless, what we outsourced to Trump the solution of the Ukrainian issue carried, carries and will carry permanent risks.

Currently, the issue of ending the Russian Federation's war against Ukraine is not monopolized, but excessively politicized, as Trump plans to use the Russian-Ukrainian war for maximum PR profit. This is especially relevant in connection with the beginning of the mid-term election campaign to the Congress," the expert emphasizes.

The political scientist suggests that, conducting "side campaigns" with EU member states regarding their purchase of Russian oil and gas products, Trump "will approach the desire for a peaceful solution with even greater enthusiasm. " "At the same time, due to Putin's categoricalness, the only option for a peaceful solution is pressure on Ukraine. According to my information, the story with Mindych is a kind of "hello" from the USA with the aim of imposing the so-called dirty peace on Kyiv.

Actually, in addition to this case, there are many other models of pressure on Ukraine, and I think that the US president still sees our country as a target for this pressure, because he needs Moscow at least to balance China, America's strategic enemy. And here, unfortunately, we are a victim that can be exchanged on a large chessboard," Oleg Posternak emphasizes, calling the direct contacts of the openly pro-Russian Orban with the head of the White House a serious risk for Ukraine.

Commenting to Focus on the role of the US president in the process of peaceful settlement, leading expert of the National Institute for Strategic Studies Ivan Us notes: "Donald Trump has repeatedly repeated that there will be no sanctions against Russia, as they will hinder the peaceful track of the direction.

Therefore, the fact that Trump recently introduced sanctions against Russia indicates either that he understands that this does not interfere with the peace case, or that he does not consider the peace track to be necessary and relevant at the moment. I still think that now the picture looks like Trump has come to understand the impossibility of ending the Russian-Ukrainian war through diplomatic means.

" Meanwhile, according to the expert, the risks of Donald Trump losing interest in the peaceful settlement of Ukraine are minimal at the moment: "Certainly, if you cannot solve internal problems in your country, and they do exist, as shown by the recent elections, you always want to switch to external problems.

In view of this, not because of Trump's ardent love for Ukraine, but because the strengthening of Kyiv's position will raise his ratings and he will play the role of a kind of Ronald Reagan 2. 0, which inspires certain hopes. In general, I think Trump will put pressure on the Europeans to buy more weapons for Ukraine, while giving up Russian energy resources that allow Moscow to fuel this war.

" Oleksandr Krayev, an expert of the Foreign Policy Council "Ukrainian Prism", is convinced that the process of peaceful settlement, primarily by the hands of the USA, is moving into the regime of "diplomacy through force". "Wandering for a year with a hook through the halls and corridors of the White House, Trump finally imposed sanctions against Lukoil and Rosneft, and this is also part of the peace process.

In addition, the fact that we are still talking with the Americans about the potential transfer of "Tomahawks" is also part of the diplomatic process. That is, now we are at the stage of forcing the Russians to go to peace negotiations. The Russian Federation must eventually see the futility of its attacks and war as such. In any case, the diplomatic process is not dead now, although the Russians are sabotaging it.

Therefore, our task, as well as that of the Trump administration, is to use all the right and wrong methods to force Putin to go to peace talks," the analyst emphasizes. Despite Trump's "irrepressible desire" to put an end to the Russian-Ukrainian war, says Oleksandr Krayev, the key negotiator was and remains the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU).

"Of course, we should not think that we have endless resources that allow us to defend ourselves on the one hand, and to attack deep into Russia on the other. But one way or another, we need to form both the allies' support flank and our own negotiating position as quickly as possible. Currently, Russia has lost one hundred percent economically and politically and in all parameters, and it has no choice but to try to "bite off" some more territories of Ukraine," the expert notes.

In the current situation, he emphasizes, official Kyiv must, along the way and always thanking its defenders, "have a long-term strategy on the table", which will not allow to nullify the support of everyone and everything from the outside. As for President Trump specifically, Oleksandr Krayev believes that, thanks to intelligence, he has an objective and operational picture, despite his "oratorical swings" regarding the Russian-Ukrainian war.