Trump has levers unpleasant for russia: political scientist on possible U.S. pressure on the kremlin
Donald Trump still has tools that can seriously influence the course of russia’s war against Ukraine. Political scientist and head of the Analytical Center “United Ukraine”, Ihor Petrenko, told this to OstroV.
“He has levers he can use — and they will be quite unpleasant for russia. There are two strategies. The first is to pressure Ukraine, essentially forcing it into concessions and playing in russia’s favor. That’s the worst-case scenario for us, and of course, European partners will resist it”, - the expert noted.
According to him, the other strategy lies in supporting the approach currently advocated by Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky together with European partners — “peace through strength”, meaning creating strong pressure on the russian federation.
“It is precisely the United States that can ensure this pressure — together with its allies”, - Petrenko emphasized.
He explained that the first direction of this pressure is economic. This concerns secondary sanctions, additional restrictions, and the introduction of tariffs.
“Trump may call it ‘trade policy’, but in essence, these are tools of pressure on countries that help russia bypass sanctions or buy its oil and gas. That gives the russian federation money for war”, - the political scientist clarified.
According to the expert, strengthening control over imports is exactly what Ukraine constantly calls on its partners to do.
“We see that many components in russian weapons are of European or American origin, simply supplied through third countries. And this is exactly what Trump could take into his arsenal”, - he explained.
Petrenko named military support for Ukraine as the second direction of pressure.
“The issue of weapons remains key. Even if ‘Tomahawks’ are now more of a rhetorical signal, the very fact of the discussion is important. There are also other systems — helicopters, HIMARS, and so on. The U.S. has a sufficient arsenal, and if Europeans are ready to partially finance it, it could become a profitable matter for Trump”, - the expert noted.
In Petrenko’s opinion, these two directions give Washington the ability to exert real influence on russia.
“So yes, he definitely has the means to influence it”, - Ihor Petrenko concluded.