Current ruling partner in Armenia is unreliable from Russia’s perspective — Dmitry Trenin

Speaking with Alpha News, Dmitry Trenin, Academic Supervisor of the Institute of World Military Economy and Strategy at HSE University, commented on the US-Russia talks regarding Ukraine, relations between Moscow and Beijing, as well as Armenia’s stance towards Russia, Turkey and the West.

“Russia has not rejected the ceasefire proposal, and President Putin has repeatedly expressed his support for the idea of a ceasefire. He has also thanked Trump for his efforts to resolve the conflict in Ukraine. He has asked several questions that I believe are completely legitimate and must be addressed if we are to build a path to peace. Putin and other Russian officials have said many times that simply stopping the fire, without taking into account the nuances or understanding the direction we are moving in, will likely result in the war resuming in a short time, and that is not in the interests of Russia, and not in the interests of the entire world. I would say that Putin has passed the ball into the US court.

The US President’s interest is to end military actions in Ukraine to avoid deeper involvement in this conflict. In essence, Trump does not want to accept Biden’s legacy in the form of American participation in the war in Ukraine. I believe he understands that if he accepts this legacy, he will have to wage war, conduct military actions, potentially escalating the conflict to a level that directly threatens US security. Trump has repeatedly stated that Biden has brought the world, and consequently the US, to the brink of World War III,” Trenin said.

“We must understand that Russia is the only country in the world that can completely destroy the United States. American politicians have never forgotten this, and I hope they never will. That is why Trump is motivated to withdraw from this Ukrainian conflict. He proposed the easiest way, because it would be the most beneficial for him—leaving the situation as it is, and allowing the Ukrainians, with the help of Europe, to confront Russia for as long as they can. Meanwhile, the United States will focus on matters that are more important to America, primarily in the Far East. Putin has a different desire. Putin needs to resolve this issue so that it does not arise again. He cannot afford to simply stop the war for some time only for it to reignite later. Previous experience shows with a 99% certainty that this would happen,” he added.

Commenting on the White House administration’s renewal of sanctions against a number of Russian banks, the expert recalled that during Trump’s first presidency, more sanctions were imposed on Russia than under any of his predecessors.

“During his first term, Trump frequently said he was trying to improve relations with Russia and Putin, but we remember how that ended. Under his administration, far more sanctions and restrictions on relations with Russia were introduced than during the entire previous period of American history. So Trump is going down this path. Today, he is trying to present himself to the American public as someone who has not sided with Russia. Many people were frightened by Trump’s abrupt policy shifts in the Oval Office, so he is now backtracking to maintain some kind of balance. Anti-Russian sentiment remains very strong, and given the current domestic political situation in the US, Trump cannot side with Putin against Zelensky,” Trenin emphasized.