Trump’s threat to Moscow over Ukraine seen as insulting false start by some in Russia

President Donald Trump’s threats to force Moscow to end the war in Ukraine have been poorly received by some Russian politicians and nationalists, who say his tactics bode poorly for a deal.

Trump said Wednesday he would likely impose new sanctions, taxes and tariffs on Russia, whose economy he says is struggling, as well as Moscow’s allies, unless President Vladimir Putin concludes “soon” an agreement with him to end the conflict.

In an apparent attempt to balance his threat with a compliment, Trump spoke of the need to never forget that Russia helped the United States win World War II and falsely stated that the Soviet Union then had lost 60 million people in this conflict, while the 26.6 million people estimated by the Russian authorities.

Putin and Trump have yet to speak on the phone since his inauguration and, given early ties to the new administration, the Kremlin has downplayed Trump’s threat, saying it “didn’t see any particularly new”.

“We carefully record all the nuances. We remain ready for dialogue, President Putin has spoken about it several times – for an equal dialogue, for a mutually respectful dialogue,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

Peskov, however, disputed Trump’s statement on World War II, saying it was the Soviet Union that made the greatest contribution to the victory over Nazi Germany. He also pointed out Trump’s error on the number of war deaths.

Others spoke more clearly, saying what they said was Trump’s authoritarian attitude toward Russia made a peace deal less likely.

Konstantin Kosachyov, deputy speaker of the upper house of the Russian parliament, noted that Trump made no demands on Ukraine in the same post on Truth Social.

“This confirms that his level of understanding of the causes, current state and prospects for resolving the Ukrainian crisis is approximately on par with his understanding of the course and outcome of the Second World War,” he said. Kosachyov said in a statement. “That is to say lower than the plinth, which can only be regrettable and worrying.”

Influential war bloggers, read by millions of Russians and approved by the authorities, expressed their outrage.

One, Voenkor Kotonok, called Trump’s statement “insulting, arrogant and self-satisfied.” Another war correspondent, Alexander Kots, speculated that the Middle East ceasefire had given Trump a misplaced sense of omnipotence.

“Russia is not the Gaza Strip. And starting a dialogue with ultimatums is not the most far-sighted approach on the part of a leader claiming to be a peacemaker. Moscow will never accept any agreement dictated by blackmail and threats,” Kots wrote.

Sergei Markov, a former Kremlin adviser, said Trump’s actions so far suggested he would not be able to bring peace to Ukraine, while Vladimir Soloviev, a high-profile talk show host in the state media, said Trump’s threats proved he was an enemy.

“Is this a way of speaking to Great Russia? ” Solovyov told his listeners angrily.

Abbas Gallyamov, a former Putin speechwriter now designated a “foreign agent” by Russia, was among those who said he believed Trump’s heavy-handed approach could backfire, a reference to the belief that Putin doesn’t like to do anything under public pressure. could be interpreted as a sign of weakness.

“Trump could have afforded to take his time (on Ukraine), but he decided not to drag things out and is slowly starting to put pressure (on Russia),” Gallyamov wrote on his blog.

“There is a risk here that Putin will retaliate and find himself in a bind. »