In the Kremlin, they believe that the special nature of the relationship between Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump allows them to conduct direct dialogue on the most complex topics, including Ukrainian settlement. However, in Moscow, they see that the policy of the US president is largely determined by the pragmatic economic interests of his country. This was stated by the press secretary of the Russian President Dmitry Peskov.
According to him, personal contacts between leaders provide an opportunity to “convey basic messages to each other,” which helps to understand the positions of both countries. At the same time, commenting on the US position on Ukraine, Peskov noted that now Donald Trump largely relies on the opinion of the Ukrainian president. He added that Moscow will have opportunities to convey its assessment of events to Washington, in particular, during the upcoming meetings of the Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
One of the key issues on the bilateral agenda remains the future of the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START). Peskov characterized Putin’s proposal on the further fate of the treaty as an “outstretched hand” to Washington. However, he emphasized that this initiative and “good political will” will remain in force only if there is a reciprocal constructive position from the United States.
Analyzing the approach of the American leader, the press secretary of the Russian President described Trump as a businessman who does not hide his intention to ensure the economic interests of his country. “The simplest thing is to make the whole world buy more expensive American oil and more expensive American liquefied gas,” Peskov explained the Kremlin’s vision.
