Putin simulates willingness for peace to help Trump block sanctions — Portnikov

Russian president Vladimir Putin continues to publicly declare his readiness for peace negotiations, but these statements are driven by a clear political tactic — to create conditions for Donald Trump to halt new sanctions against Russia. This was stated by publicist Vitaliy Portnikov on his YouTube channel.

«Putin says he wants this war to end as soon as possible and does not rule out ending it peacefully. However, it is obvious that all these statements are primarily aimed at U.S. President Donald Trump, ” Portnikov noted.

He recalled that Putin even agreed with the claim that the war would not have happened if Trump were U.S. president, though he did not explain why. According to Portnikov, such rhetoric is part of a broader strategy: simulating dialogue to buy time, continue terror against Ukraine’s civilian population, and occupy new territories.

«This allows us to conclude that Putin will continue to adhere to his tactic of stalling by simulating a negotiation process while intending to persist with terror against Ukraine’s civilian population and the occupation of new Ukrainian territories, ” Portnikov emphasized.

In his view, Putin wants Trump not to oppose Russian aggression but to effectively facilitate the Kremlin’s scenario.

Portnikov also questioned Trump’s intentions to disrupt the Russia-China alliance through concessions to Putin:

«I don’t know to what extent Trump even needs this, or how quickly the American president will abandon this illusion… At this Putin press conference, it was absolutely clear that this alliance, in the mind of the Russian president himself, is already taking on civilizational roots.»