Russia’s Vladimir Putin wants to show that he is not dependent on Donald Trump. That is why he denies the very existence of the phone call that allegedly took place on November 7. This is also the reason why, at a major conference in Russia on the same day, he did not mention the President-elect for the first three hours of his speech. The Kremlin leader was convinced that he had to demonstrate his independence from any American influence.
That’s what Andrei Kolesnikov, a political analyst and commentator in the Russian version of the newspaper, said. “Novaya Gazeta, one of the few media outlets in Moscow still critical of the Kremlin regime. According to Kolesnikov, “to his audience in Russia, Putin wants to present himself as king of the world:” Trump is important, but he is even more important. “Vladimir Putin doesn’t care about the rest – the state of mind he wants to demonstrate. In the United States, the message is the same: ‘If you want to make an offer for peace in Ukraine, you can send it to me; I will be happy to receive you; but I am the one who decides when and how to behave,'” the Russian political scientist explained.
“For him /Putin, ed./ the election of Donald Trump is both good and bad news. On the one hand, he feels close to the president-elect and his conservative and conspiratorial positions. But on the other, there is the problem of Donald Trump’s unpredictability, which could undermine Moscow’s discourse and policy towards Washington. The Kremlin wants to preserve the Cold War climate. Donald Trump’s outstretched hand disrupts this tactic. No one opened the champagne in the Kremlin on 5 November /the date of the US presidential election/. And I doubt very much that Vladimir Putin will agree to meet with Donald Trump soon after his inauguration, on January 20, 2025, for a big public show of reconciliation. Initially, the resumption of contacts will take place informally, behind the scenes. Donald Trump and his new administration could also quickly cut aid to Kiev, but this remains uncertain and the consequences difficult to measure,” said Andrei Kolesnikov. | BGNES
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