U.S. President Donald Trump is deliberately avoiding a hardline stance on Russia and is instead gauging the reactions of European allies to keep the door open for possible negotiations with Moscow.
This was stated by Zenon Kowal, a member of the UWC Executive Committee, Political Advisor to the European Congress of Ukrainians and the Association of Ukrainians in Belgium, as well as former Special Advisor to the Embassy of Ukraine in Belgium (1992-1995), in a comment to Apostrophe.
“Trump believes that if he takes too hard a line on Russia, the Russians will refuse to come to the negotiating table. But even that is no guarantee,” Kowal said.
Kowal also said that Trump will eventually need to adopt a clear position on the war in Ukraine, as his previous statements and threats have so far gone unfulfilled.
According to Kowal, the president’s actions will affect not only his perception as a global leader but also the trust of a significant portion of his own voters.
“Right now, it’s a challenging situation for Trump, because he will have to demonstrate the consequences of his actions,” Kowal said.
