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Putin Seeks to Force Ukraine Negotiations Through Escalation, Betting on Trump’s Weak Response
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![Photo of Dariia Mykhailenko]( "Photo of Dariia Mykhailenko")
Russian leader Vladimir Putin has concluded that escalating the war is the most effective way to pressure Ukraine into negotiations on Moscow’s terms, while calculating that US President Donald Trump will do little to bolster Kyiv’s defenses, Bloomberg reported on September 20, citing sources close to the Kremlin.
Following Putin’s meeting with Trump in Anchorage last month—during which Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy rejected demands to surrender additional territory in eastern Ukraine—Russian forces have intensified strikes against both military and civilian targets.
According to the sources, the Kremlin now intends to keep targeting Ukraine’s energy grid and other critical infrastructure.
Those familiar with the matter added that Putin left the Alaska talks convinced Trump has little interest in deeper involvement in the war.
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Meanwhile, Trump himself publicly acknowledged disappointment with Putin’s stance on the war. Speaking at a joint press conference with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer on September 18, the US president said the Kremlin leader had “let him down” on efforts to resolve the war.
Trump repeated his claim that he had previously “ended seven wars” and insisted that Russia’s war in Ukraine should become the eighth. At the same time, he admitted that the war he once believed would be the easiest to settle—thanks to his personal relationship with Putin—has instead turned out to be the most difficult.
Earlier, US President Donald Trump denounced Russia’s deadly missile strike on Kyiv, describing the attack as “disgusting” and vowing to impose new sanctions on Moscow.
