"I think President Trump played a key role here," Sikorski remarked.Earlier, Politico reported that Trump and Ukrainian officials have starkly different views on ending the war. They do not believe Trump can secure a favorable peace deal. Instead, they’re banking on Putin’s intransigence, eventually frustrating Trump and leading to stronger US support for Ukraine. Their calculation rests on the belief that Putin will accept nothing less than Ukraine’s complete surrender—something they expect Trump to reject. Trump, meanwhile, believes he can pressure Putin into a fair settlement through threats of enhanced economic warfare against Russia’s already struggling economy.
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