On January 22, Trump warned Putin that if he does not agree to end the full-scale war against Ukraine, the U.S. will impose high taxes, tariffs, and sanctions on goods from Russia.
"He [Trump] is quite ambitious. […] And if Putin does not listen to him, well, it seems to me he has already said this – he will have no choice but to intensify sanctions and impose restrictive measures on the Russian economy. If that happens, we will simply witness […] the collapse of Russia from within," noted a Ukrainian diplomat.
Deshchytsia believes that Putin and his entourage will not withstand this pressure.
"Well, if we can say, this is an onslaught from Trump. He is quite categorical in his statements. It seems to me that he is no longer afraid of Putin as he was during his first presidential term. We saw him completely dejected after the meeting with Putin in Helsinki. But now it seems to me that he feels confident. He has nothing to lose," emphasized the former acting Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine.