According to former President Trump, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s position has been weakened to some extent after the temporary rebellion of the Wagner private army. However, Trump still believes that Putin remains a strong leader.
In an interview with Reuters, Trump stated, “You could say that (Putin is) still there, he’s still strong, but he certainly has been — I would say — somewhat weakened, at least in the minds of a lot of people.”
Last week, Yevgeny Prigozhin, the leader of the Wagner Group mercenaries, led his troops from the front lines of Ukraine to Russia and declared his intention to overthrow the Russian military leadership. After negotiations, Prigozhin agreed to stand down and relocate his forces to Belarus.
This incident raises serious questions about Putin’s control over the political and military leadership of Russia. Furthermore, the future of Prigozhin is uncertain, with the President of Belarus claiming to have persuaded Putin not to harm him.
Trump believes that the outcome of these events is the best scenario, as without Putin, the alternative could be unpredictable and potentially worse. He emphasized the need for the U.S. to focus on negotiating peace for the entire Russia-Ukraine conflict, even if it means Ukraine losing some territory.
“I want people to stop dying over this ridiculous war,” Trump expressed.
In efforts to “force peace,” he stated that everything would be “subject to negotiation.”
“I think [Ukraine] would be entitled to keep much of what they’ve earned, and I think that Russia likewise would agree to that. You need the right mediator or negotiator, and we don’t have that right now,” Trump added.
Previous attempts at peace between Ukraine and Russia have made little progress due to the unwillingness of both parties to compromise on key terms. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s 10-point peace proposal requires Russia to vacate all occupied Ukrainian land, including the Crimea region, which Russia seized in 2014. However, Russia is unlikely to agree to these terms.
Trump also chose not to confront Putin about international war crimes, believing that such discussions should be reserved for post-war negotiations. He believes that raising this topic at present would hinder the possibility of achieving peace and a settlement.
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