US President Donald Trump has abruptly shifted its tone toward the Russo-Ukraine war, showing that he’s not willing to “cozy up to the Kremlin,” writes executive editor at the Telegraph Francis Dearnely.
He notes that many in Ukraine were skeptical of Trump due to his multiple unflattering statements toward President Volodymyr Zelensky as a “salesman” and his talk of having a “good relationship” with Vladimir Putin, even though they still preferred him over Joe Biden’s cautious predictability.
“Anything but this slow death, one told me,” Dearnely writes, adding, “Now, as Trump’s term begins, the Kremlin is beginning to taste venom. Trump is not a man who sides with losers, and – crucially – he sees Moscow as failing, and defeatable.”
He cites the recent statements made by Trump, including his direct ultimatum to Russia to either end the war or face serious economic ramifications, adding that “IT’LL ONLY GET WORSE” if they disagree.
“Yet now there are rumors Trump may even leverage $330bn in frozen Russian state assets, threatening to give them to Kyiv to buy US weapons – a move appealing to Trump’s transactional instincts. Military aid could also ramp up, particularly if he pivots the narrative to frame Moscow, not Kyiv, as an obstacle to peace,” Dearnely adds, suggesting that “to think talks with Moscow will end well is optimistic.”
He finishes the article saying that 2025 “could be the year the snake fatally bites back. That’s what Moscow fears, and Trump alone can deliver. We should all hope he does.”
