A former Russian deputy minister revealed that the Kremlin was taken aback by the swift concessions made by US President Donald Trump to Russian President Vladimir Putin even before talks to end the conflict in Ukraine began.
Vladimir Milov, Russia's former deputy minister of energy, shared that Moscow had anticipated Trump to make demands of Russia, prompting them to prepare offers for potential negotiations. However, to their astonishment, Trump granted all desired concessions without any conditions.
Milov, speaking from exile in Vilnius, Lithuania, expressed that the situation was particularly surprising, even by Putin's standards. The strained relationship between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky further escalated tensions this week.
Trump echoed Moscow's narrative by falsely accusing Ukraine of initiating the conflict and suggesting that Zelensky should hold an election that was disrupted due to the war. Zelensky retaliated by accusing Trump of spreading disinformation and was labeled a dictator in response.
With the rift between Ukraine and the US widening, Moscow's demands have intensified in recent days. Milov highlighted that Russia seemed emboldened by Trump's reluctance to impose any conditions on them.
Russia has justified its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 by claiming that NATO expansion posed a threat to its security, a rationale dismissed by Western leaders as baseless.
