Klimkin explains Trump's change in rhetoric: He wants to negotiate with Putin on his own terms

President of the United States Donald Trump wants to negotiate with the Russian dictator Vladimir Putin, but from a position of strength. This opinion was expressed by Pavlo Klimkin, minister of Foreign Affairs (2014-2019) and analyst, in the new video of "Klimkin Explains" format on the YouTube channel LIGA.net.

According to Klimkin, the change of rhetoric of the US president is not a "surge of emotions" of Trump alone, but is instead coordinated within his administration.

"This does not mean that Trump does not want to come to an agreement. He does, but on his own terms. And he does not want to talk to today's Russian reality on equal terms," the former minister emphasized.

According to the analyst, the Russian dictator would like to negotiate with the United States on equal terms, as it was during the Soviet era: "We sit down, talk on equal terms, define something, determine the contours of future agreements."

"And Trump – who is a fan of poker, not chess, as you know, and always thinks about who has the stronger cards – began to tell Putin publicly that 'I have stronger cards, and in fact, yes, we are negotiating, but we are definitely not negotiating on Russia's terms, but on my terms,'" Klimkin explained.

He noted that by this behavior, Trump is saying that he is ready for negotiations, but for those where the United States is the stronger party.

In this, the US president is in a sense returning to his concept of "peace through strength," the expert noted.

"And when Trump feels that he is in a stronger position, he will develop this position. And Trump needs a lot of things from Putin: the Arctic, energy, and critical minerals," the former minister summarized.

The full issue is available at the link at the beginning of the news or below:

• President Zelenskyy said he was "pleasantly surprised" by his American counterpart Trump's statement that Ukraine is capable of regaining all its territories with the help of the European Union, but acknowledged that the US leader may change his mind.