WASHINGTON: US president Donald Trump, lengthy recognized for his admiration of Vladimir Putin, has taken a sharper tone towards the Russian chief, although observers say the once-cozy relationship is probably not over but.
Trump on Monday (Jul 14) introduced new arms transfers to Ukraine through Europe and threatened 100 per cent tariffs on international locations that buy Russian items. Whereas his rhetoric towards Putin has cooled, he stopped wanting endorsing a bipartisan invoice in Congress that will impose tariffs as excessive as 500 per cent.
DISAPPOINTMENT IN PUTIN
Talking to reporters, Trump stated he was “upset” in Putin, who continued to assault Ukrainian cities regardless of what Trump described as common cellphone calls between the 2 leaders.
“I’m going dwelling, I inform the primary girl, ‘You realize, I spoke to Vladimir at the moment, we had a beautiful dialog.’ She stated, ‘Oh actually? One other metropolis was simply hit,'” he stated.
“I do not need to say he is an murderer, however he is a tricky man. It has been confirmed through the years. He is fooled lots of people,” Trump added.
Regardless of the criticism, Trump once more blamed the 2022 invasion on his successor, Joe Biden, and stated it will by no means have occurred beneath his management.
TARIFF THREATS AND FRUSTRATION
Trump’s tariff threats are extensively seen as an indication of frustration quite than a substantive coverage shift.
“Trump had promised that he might get Putin to the negotiating desk, and he has failed to do this,” stated Heather Conley, a former US State Division official now on the American Enterprise Institute.
His new strikes come as a part of what analysts describe as Trump’s try and reassert management over the battle after a public fallout with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky earlier this yr.
A DAMAGED IMAGE AS DEALMAKER
For Trump, Putin’s continued aggression has broken the previous president’s self-image as a grasp negotiator.
“For six months, President Trump tried to entice Putin to the desk. The assaults have gone up, not down,” stated Senator Lindsey Graham, a Republican ally of Trump who helps new sanctions.
“One of many greatest miscalculations Putin has made is to play Trump,” Graham added.
