Trump’s policy plays Putin right in his hands – even beyond the war
During Donald Trump’s almost 100 first days as president, he has signed a full 140 presidential order. It is about everything from stopping contributions to introducing commercial duties and cutting authorities.
Several changes have played Russian President Vladimir Putin in his hands.
Trump has discontinued a group that has worked against Russian oligarchs’ assets, withdrawn from an initiative working to map Russian war crimes in Ukraine, ordered a stop for cyber offensive against Russia and given orders to the country’s cyber security authority to focus more on China – not Russia.
– You can make a long list of various measures where the United States withdraws from calling Russia’s influence both in the US and Ukraine. You simply remove lots of things that could stick in the eyes of Russia, says Stefan Ingvarsson, Russia analyst at the Foreign Policy Institute.
– All this is conscious, but then none of us know if it is based on a completely domestic policy willing, any other strategy, or if there is a parallel dialogue in which Russia in addition to pressure against the United States.
During his first day As president, Trump decided to freeze almost all money to the US Aid Authority USAID. The authority, with over 10,000 employees, is closed down and the few who are allowed to work must be organized under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Support for organizations working to promote democracy has also received hijacked grants.
Media companies Radio Free Europe and Radio Liberty were next in line. Since 1949, they have sent independent news to authoritarian countries with a regime -controlled news feed, including Russia. The cuts also affect Voice of America, the US official radio channel for independent news reporting abroad.
Margarita Simonjan, head of the Russian state broadcasting company RT, cheered. « A fantastic decision by Trump, » she said according to New York Times And added, « We couldn’t shut them down, unfortunately, but America did it itself ».
Stefan Ingvarsson, Recently returned from a business trip to Washington, says that the decision can be explained both from an ideological perspective and from a tactical approach Moscow.
-It is difficult to say if it is part of the MAGA ideology, that you do not want to support liberal development in the world, or if you simply remove things that are an annoyance for the Kremlin.
The media companies have sued the Trump administration and a judge has since stopped the discontinuation of Voice of America.
According to Ingvarsson It is clear that Trump wants to normalize the relationship with Russia.
– The political signal that comes from the Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is that the United States wants to restart its relationships with Russia and that the discussion in Washington is currently about how to restart, and in which areas it is most favorable for the United States to normalize the relationship.
– This normalization is not dependent on a so -called peace settlement in Ukraine, but it goes on its own rail.
Ingvarsson perceives It is that in Washington you are convinced of the Kremlin and the White House must have a dialogue. The fact that the isolation of Russia in the long term is an unnatural condition and that the conflict in Ukraine is up to Europe to handle.
– Another point that is important to make is that the US and Europe look very different from what Russia pose to threats. Russia does not threaten the United States in an immediate way, on the contrary in the circle around Trump and Witkoff there are many businessmen who would like to come back to the Russian market, he says and continues:
– It does not matter that there is a deep and well -established expertise on Russia among many in Washington. It is not their analysis that governs the president’s decision, but you have to look at the circle he surrounds himself with – and it seems to have completely bought the Russian situation, says Ingvarsson.
