"Putin has other goals". Trump does not understand the depth of the war and seeks to resolve it through territorial exchange – political scientist Ihor Chalenko
US President Donald Trump may perceive the upcoming meeting with vladimir putin in Alaska as part of his own strategy to shape the image of a “peacemaker” and contender for the Nobel Peace Prize. However, he does not realize the true causes of the russian-Ukrainian war. Political scientist, head of the Center for Analysis and Strategies Ihor Chalenko stated this in a comment to OstroV.
"Trump does not feel the depth and cause of the war. He thinks it can be solved by a banal territorial exchange – as if russia gives back part of the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia oblasts, and Ukraine renounces Donbas and Crimea. But this will not end the war, because russia has other goals", - he noted.
According to the political scientist, even if such an agreement is reached, putin will simply wait two or three years to resume the offensive.
"For putin, it is rather a matter of securing specific lands. For what? To prepare a bridgehead for a future war... If we voluntarily withdraw from part of the Donetsk oblast, we hand over the keys to all of Ukraine to putin. The russian federation has other goals, and it does not back down from them. This is confirmed by official data from Ukrainian intelligence", - he emphasized.
Ihor Chalenko also reminded that the very idea of a meeting in Alaska for Trump is another step in creating a “peacemaker portfolio”.
"He is already adding Cambodia, Iran, India–Pakistan to this list, and now – Ukraine. This is part of his image-building strategy before the Nobel Committee", - the political scientist summarized.