Why Trump is blocking aid to Ukraine: Klimkin explains
According to Klimkin, Trump wants support for Ukraine to be associated with him, not with Biden.
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Klimkin: Trump has leverage over Ukraine — how this will end
U.S. President Donald Trump, from a negotiator’s perspective, is doing many things correctly.
This opinion was expressed by Ukrainian diplomat and former Foreign Minister of Ukraine Pavlo Klimkin in an interview with LIGAnet.
«What is the goal (of suspending arms supplies to Ukraine — ed.)? First, it’s domestic politics. We discussed the importance of the midterm elections, which could either pave the way for Trump’s near-political immortality, as he sees it, or turn him into a „lame duck, ” the diplomat reflects.
In his view, it is currently important for Trump to emphasize that the previous Biden administration spent vast amounts of weapons stockpiles without providing for their replenishment.
The third aspect is an attempt to put the previous administration, which Trump strongly dislikes, on the hook…
«So far, the weapons going (to Ukraine — ed.) are coming from the previous administration, from Biden. And everyone thinks, „Well, it was Biden who gave to Ukraine.“ From the perspective of a politician like Trump, this is a very bad story, ” Klimkin says.
According to the diplomat, Trump will now make decisions to provide aid to Ukraine on his own terms.
«From a negotiator’s perspective, he is doing many things correctly. And, of course, from our perspective, when people say we need to be disciplined, put in a box, or pushed toward some compromises, Trump has plenty of leverage over us, as we perfectly understand. We cannot abandon a partner like the United States. The U.S. is indispensable for us. But today, Donald Trump is the President of the United States of America. And it is he who, under the American presidential system, makes all the key decisions regarding us, ” Klimkin concluded.