Stefanyishyna Explained Why Trump Is Seeking Dialogue with Russia
On September 12, Olga Stefanishyna explained why Donald Trump is interested in building closer ties with Moscow. According to her, the U.S. president views Russia as a potential tool for containing China, rather than as an ally.
“For Trump, Russia is—in his worldview—the main factor in countering China’s rise. In other words, he believes that a weak Russia strengthens China,” Stefanishyna said.
She added that the U.S. president assumes that a rapprochement between Washington and Moscow and the establishment of a certain framework of relations between them could distance Russia from China. Stefanishyna noted that this logic is also present in the approaches of Trump’s team and the U.S. administration.
At the same time, the diplomat assessed that U.S. attempts to establish a strategic dialogue with Russia have been unsuccessful.
“All attempts to establish a strategic dialogue have been a complete fiasco. The dialogue between Russia and the United States at the institutional level has been a complete fiasco,” she noted.
Stefanyishyna emphasized that despite Trump’s complimentary statements about Russia, he should not be considered a supporter of Moscow.
“It simply means that he is not on Russia’s side, even though we very often hear such complimentary remarks,” said the former ambassador.
At the same time, according to her, Trump genuinely wants to end Russia’s war against Ukraine as quickly as possible. He believes he can find a compromise solution through negotiations.
“He is definitely determined to end the war, to bring it to a close. That’s why he believes he can find that middle ground—like a messiah—through negotiations,” Stefanyishyna said.
However, these efforts have not yet yielded the expected results. According to the diplomat, despite Trump’s prolonged attempts to bring the war to an end, his approach has not worked so far.
Source: Radio Free Europe
Earlier, Stefanishyna revealed the nicknames given to Kushner and Witkoff in Russia.
Prior to that, Zelenskyy told Witkoff that he would not cede any territory to Russia under any circumstances.
Following the meeting in Kyiv, Witkoff announced peace talks in a Ukraine-Europe-U.S. format.
In addition to issues related to the cessation of hostilities and security guarantees, the parties discussed the country’s postwar recovery and the mobilization of resources for reconstruction, as well as economic guarantees designed to prevent the war from breaking out again.
