Trump pressures Putin over oil: what are the goals of the sanctions against Russia.

According to ТСН: US President Donald Trump does not plan for Russia to suffer a significant defeat. However, he is taking steps to create economic difficulties for the Kremlin and to encourage President Vladimir Putin to make compromises on economic and business issues.

Trump's Strategy Towards Putin

Former Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin believes that Trump is trying to increase pressure on the Kremlin by imposing sanctions and worsening the financial situation in Russia. He also noted that the American leader wants to negotiate and have some cooperation with Moscow, but without equality. Trump uses additional mechanisms to influence Russia. For Ukraine, it is important that these actions take its interests into account.

“At the same time, Trump is trying to cut Russian oil exports without drawing excessive public attention and creating problems for it with his sanctions against India and China. The price of the Russian oil export mixture is currently decreasing. Therefore, this means that the next year will be more challenging for Russia. Furthermore, these are blows that we are striking against both refineries and the infrastructure that supports oil exports,” said the former minister.

Klimkin emphasized that the main goal is to reduce the financial resources of the Russian regime for waging war for the next year or year and a half, limiting the space for maneuvering and forcing Putin to enter into real negotiations, rather than presenting new cynical ultimatums.

When might the Russian economy collapse?

The former head of Ukraine's Foreign Ministry stressed that it is difficult to predict how long the Russian economy will withstand pressure, as this depends on oil prices, other export goods from Russia, and many other factors. He also pointed out that special attention should be paid to the activities of the Russian shadow fleet, which is used not only for oil transportation.

“They are installing drones on it, trying to release them far from the coast, and then ruining the lives of many European countries. In my opinion, countering this fleet is not only about cutting Russia off from money but also for Europe to be concerned about its own security. Therefore, there needs to be a new, more proactive strategy,” Klimkin emphasized.

Meanwhile, Russia continues to seek alternative ways to bypass sanctions, complicating the refusal of oil exports and obtaining financial resources to continue the war.

Additionally, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova recently stated about a 'confident movement forward' in negotiations with the US regarding the war in Ukraine, despite the slow progress of the dialogue. She also noted positive dynamics in communication with Washington, although she accused Western European countries of trying to 'torpedo' these agreements.

According to British analyst Scott Lucas, Putin is not ready for compromises and aims to split Ukraine, which is why the war will not end anytime soon. The expert is confident that the only way to stop the aggression is to completely exhaust the Kremlin's economic resources for waging war. Only then will the dictator stop the hostilities when he can no longer finance his soldiers.

Thus, the situation around the Russian economy and relations with Ukraine remains tense. US actions, particularly sanctions, could significantly impact Russia's ability to continue military operations. However, the development of events will depend on many factors that remain uncertain for now.