The dust has begun to settle as Trump takes oves the reigns from Biden as President of the US.
And during his inauguration speech, as reported by Stephen Collinson,
Following his inauguration, a downpour of Trump unravelling much of the Biden legacy has left both international politicians and reporters scrambling to read the left-behind tea-leaves of Trump's mountain of executive orders, ranging from the pardoning of over 1000 of the criminally convicted rioters of the 6 January 2021 Capitol attack, to the US withdrawal from the Paris Climate Treaty.
His previous electioneering and rather 'boastful' promise to " ... end Putin's war against Ukraine on day one of his presidency (
Fred Kaplan
June 23, 2023) has now morphed into "100 days to find a solution".
"President Donald Trump has missed his deadline for ending the war in Ukraine.
Of course, no one truly believed Trump would be able end the grinding, three-year conflict in 24 hours, as he implausibly promised repeatedly as a candidate. Even his new special envoy to Ukraine has asked for 100 days to find a solution. " (CNN: 21 January 2025) (my emphasis)
Times of India on MSN: 21 January 2025
"Donald Trump has warned Vladimir Putin that "he's destroying Russia by not making a deal" as he eyes talks to end the war in Ukraine.
...
Speaking to reporters upon his return to the Oval Office, Trump said: "He [Putin]should make a deal. I think he's destroying Russia by not making a deal.
"I think Russia's going to be in big trouble," the Republican firebrand added." (Express: 21 January 2025) (my emphasis)
Underlining Trumps assertion that, "I think Russia's going to be in big trouble", John Varga (right) reports that,
"Russia is in the process of "collapsing" and the world needs to prepare for potential nuclear chaos inside the country, a former US senior military commander (Retired general Ben Hodges: left) has said. ...
"I think the Russian Federation is collapsing now. It’s not in a straight line, but it is happening," he said." (Express: 21 January 2025) (my emphasis)
The incoming US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, also expresses an urgency about Putin ending his war in Ukraine.
As reported by Kateryna Serohina (right),
admitted that he could not provide a specific timeframe for the end of the Russia-Ukraine war.However, he stated that both sides will have to make concessions to end the conflict.
Rubio also clearly acknowledged Russia as the aggressor in this war." (RBC Ukraine on MSN: 20 January 2025) (my emphasis)
As I wrote in my last blog entry,
"Everything now hinges on how the EU will react to ANY Trump-Putin meeting about the war in Ukraine that EXCLUDES Zelensky.
UK Prime Minister Sharmer has already pledged to put Ukraine in the "strongest possible position" regarding ANY negotiations about ending Putin's war in Ukraine.
Whither now the EU??" (blog entry: 17 January 2025)
"French President Emmanuel Macron (left) called on Europe Monday to “wake up” and spend more on defense in order to reduce its reliance on the United States for its security, in a speech to the French military as Donald Trump returns to power." (AP: 21 January 2025) (my emphasis) And as James Reynolds also reports,
"Thousands of British troops are travelling to Romania to take part in massive mobilisation drills ahead of the third anniversary of the war in Ukraine.
Around 2,500 British personnel, along with hundreds of vehicles, are moving across the continent by land, air and sea to join allies in the Balkans.
The operation, called Steadfast Dart, aims to highlight the bloc's ability to mobilise at speed, amid a slew of World War 3 threats from Putin allies in recent months." (Daily Mail on MSN: 20 January 2025) (my emphasis)
Ben Hodges is correct in stating that, "I think the Russian Federation is collapsing now. It’s not in a straight line, but it is happening,", especially in light of the fact that,
"Russia is potentially facing the prospect of catastrophic hyperinflation, as the wartime economy threatens to overheat.
...
Almost all the experts who advise members of the [Russian] Politburo agree that this year inflation will be three-digit." (John Varga: Daily Express: 21 January 2025) (my emphasis)
Putin now has no other choice but to EITHER confront NATO with war OR, as Marco Rubio states, ".. both sides will have to make concessions to end the conflict."
Putin now sits astride the Horns of a Dilemma.
UPDATE : 22 January 2024 : GMT 18:04
"U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday threatened massive tariffs and sanctions on Russian products if Vladimir Putin fails to make a deal to end the war in Ukraine.
...
"We can do it the easy way, or the hard way — and the easy way is always better," Trump said." (Politico: 22 January2025) (my emphasis)
Times of India: 21 Januay 2025: YouTube,
"The US imported about $4.6 billion worth of goods from Russia in 2023, according to data compiled by Bloomberg, accounting for less than 0.2% of total imports. The US has already imposed extensive sanctions on Russia, though it’s struggled to persuade some of Russia’s key trading partners — such as India — to scale back its purchases." (Bloomberg: 22 January 2025) (my emphasis)
Could US president Trump's threat be mere 'window dressing' , as a prelude to an intimate meeting with Putin to 'privately' discuss (remember Helsinki : 2018) the Ukraine war that he started , and with the absolute mutual exclusion of Zelelsky, President of Ukraine?
Let us not forget that Putin illegally invaded Ukraine, and illegally incorporated into Russia that part of Ukraine his army still occupies.
(to be continued)
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