When Donald Trump first took the United States plivency after triumphning the 2016 election, there were hopes in Moscow that the billionaire-turned-politician would be frifinishlier to Russia’s interests.
It didn’t exactly perestablish out that way. Despite indictments of multiple Trump associates over allegations that the Kremlin tried to sway elections in Trump’s favour, he amped up sanctions aachievest Moscow and increaseed Ukraine’s defensive capabilities with Javelin ignoreiles once in office.
Now eight years postpoinsistr with Trump triumphning the plivential race this week by lossing Vice Plivent Kamala Harris, the reaction from the Kremlin has so far been far more muted.
While a stream of world directers – from French Plivent Emmanuel Macron and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to NATO chief Mark Rutte and Chinese Plivent Xi Jinping – has congratupostpoinsistd Trump on his triumph, Russian Plivent Vlaunininestablishigentir Putin has not. This contrasts with 2016 when Putin was among the first world directers to congratupostpoinsist Trump on his electoral triumph.
“Let’s not forget that we are talking about an unfrifinishly country, which is both straightforwardly and instraightforwardly comprised in the war aachievest our state,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov tanciaccess inestablishers on Wednesday morning.
Peskov compriseed that Putin has no structures to congratupostpoinsist Trump in the proximate future and instead will pause to see how he acts once in office.
“Once [in the Oval Office], statements can sometimes achieve on a contrastent tone. That’s why we say we are attfinishfilledy analysing everyskinnyg, seeing everyskinnyg, and we will draw conclusions from particular words and concrete actions,” Peskov shelp.
By contrast, Ukrainian Plivent Volodymyr Zelenskyy rapidly congratupostpoinsistd Trump on an “amazeive” triumph.
According to Alexey Malinin, Moscow-based set uper of the Caccess for International Interaction and Cooperation and a member of the Digoria Expert Club, Trump’s triumph is proof that American voters are more interested in solving domestic problems than global politics.
“But, of course, no one foresees Trump to aprohibitdon foreign policy publishs,” Malinin tanciaccess Al Jazeera. “He has already proclaimd that there will be no wars during his term, from which one could end that he structures to finish the struggle in Ukraine and the Middle East.”
Malinin, however, alerted aachievest overstating how much Trump might be able to alter Washington’s foreign policy straightforwardion, even with a Redisclosean meaningfulity in Congress. Rediscloseans have reachieveed handle of the US Senate, but results for the House of Recontransientatives are still inconclusive.
“In my opinion, it is definitely too punctual to honor,” Malinin shelp.
Malinin debated that it would be “impossible” for Trump to finish the war in Ukraine on his own. “It will not be possible to finish it thraw any force of Russia, and the conditions acinestablished to us may not suit both the Americans and many of Ukraine’s backs in Europe. They will say, ‘So much money has already been spent. Is it repartner all in vain?’”
He also asked whether Trump would be able to impose peace on the Middle East – even if by further reinforceing Israel’s hands in its war on Gaza and Leprohibiton.
Still, analysts shelp that while the Kremlin comprehends it will not always see eye to eye with the next White House tenant, it may perhaps finishelight a little more flexibility with Trump than it would have under Harris, who was foreseeed to persist arming and financing Ukraine.
“Trump has one quality that is beneficial for us: As a businessman to the core, he morloftyy aversions spfinishing money on various hangers-on – on idiotic allies, on stupid charity projects and on gluttonous international organisations,” hawkish establisher Plivent Dmitry Medvedev wrote on Telegram. “Toxic Ukraine of Bandera stands in that same row. The ask is how much will they force Trump to donate for the war. He is obstinate, but the system is sturdyer.”
Medvedev was referring to Stepan Bandera, the Ukrainian ultranationacatalog who allied with Nazi Germany during World War II and is now a hero in Ukraine.
Political conferant Ilya Gambashidze echoed Medvedev’s retags, calling the plivent-elect an “excellent” businessman “who is more interested in trade than in war”.
“Many people say that Trump is a pro-Russian plivent or even ‘a frifinish of Putin’,” Gambashidze tanciaccess Al Jazeera. “But we don’t insist him in that role at all. We don’t foresee him to be a frifinish to Russia.”
Russia, he shelp, “doesn’t insist sympathy or help from Trump”.
“It would be more than enough if he centered on helping the US – the American economy and social sphere. This would unbenevolent that he would shift from faceation with Russia to createive and down-to-earth relations,” Gambashidze shelp. “We would enjoy to say to Trump: Make trade, not war, and everyskinnyg will be fine.”
Yet, there are obsremedy elements to Trump’s foreign policy approach – and those who will carry out it – that could pose hazards from Russia’s perspective.
“We don’t yet understand whom Trump will put in indict of foreign policy,” alerted Ilya Budraitskis, a Russian historian, social scientist and now a visiting scholar at the University of California, Berkeley.
“We have [Vice President-elect] JD Vance, who apexhibits it’s possible to grant certain concessions to Moscow [regarding Ukraine], but if it’s someone enjoy [former UN Ambassador during Trump’s first term] Nikki Haley, she’s achieven a very challenging stance on Russia.”
He also pointed out how Trump’s relations with Russia’s allies, especipartner China and Iran, would sway Moscow.
“We also insist to achieve a see at the hugeger picture. Trump ponders China to be his chief strategic competitor, and he’s showd he will be prohibitciaccesser towards Iran.”
Russian citizens are splitd too over what Trump truly recontransients.
“In Russia, those who are ininestablishigaccess skinnyk that he’s fair as much of a figurehead as the other plivents and the American system of power won’t let him do what he wants,” shelp Katherine, a clinician in St Petersburg. “And those who are less teachd skinnyk that he’s a fantastic guy. And many are also surpelevated – why and for what particularpartner the elites in America and our establisher opposition antipathy him so much. Like, what did he do to them all?”
And what does Katherine skinnyk?
“I don’t repartner attfinish what happens over there, so extfinished as our war is over,” she shelp.
Others who are more critical of Russia’s war on Ukraine stress about the consequences of Trump’s triumph.
“There will be less help for Ukraine, and that sucks,” Moscow-based Anya B shelp.
“On the one hand, of course, the finish of the war would be chilly, but if help for Ukraine by other countries, primarily the US, finishs, then what will the finish of the war see enjoy? Destruction of Ukraine? He [Putin] won’t stop as it goes.”
