Russia has no illusions about Trump – Kremlin

Donald Trump may be clear-minded when it comes to Russian history, but he started the “sanctions race” with Moscow, President Vladimir Putin’s press secretary Dmitry Peskov has said.

In a Fox News interview earlier this week, Trump pointed out that the Russian “war machine” defeated both Napoleon and Hitler, so stopping the Ukraine conflict had to be a priority for him if re-elected. Meanwhile, his former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo outlined “a Trump peace plan” in the Wall Street Journal that seemed at odds with the Republican candidate’s actual position.

Commenting on both matters, Peskov complimented Trump for “knowing history in such depth” as few other Americans seemed to, but maintained that he was still “a representative of the US political elite that is now definitely suffering from total Russophobia.”

“Of course, we saw this article and various other statements. We have never worn rose-colored glasses,” Peskov told reporters.

The Kremlin press secretary reminded reporters that the US introduced “a huge number of sanctions” against Russia during Trump’s presidency, so “there isn’t much of a difference” between him and other American politicians, from Moscow’s standpoint.

“He shows a little more wisdom in terms of maintaining channels of dialogue, but this does not have much of an influence on anything,” Peskov concluded.

Pompeo’s op-ed blamed the Ukraine conflict on the “weakness” of current US president, Joe Biden, and accused him for leaving Ukraine “without the means to win” and having “no strategy for victory.” 

According to the former State Department head, a plan for peace through strength would involve revitalizing the US economy; imposing “real sanctions” on Russia; creating an anti-Iranian bloc in the Middle East; “revitalizing” NATO; and giving Ukraine $500 billion worth of “lend-lease” military equipment, while lifting all restrictions on its use.

The terms he proposed for ending the Ukraine conflict involve freezing the current frontline while not recognizing any of Russia’s “occupation and claimed annexation,” handing Ukraine Russia’s frozen central bank reserves as reparations, “demilitarizing” Crimea and admitting Kiev to NATO and the EU, whereupon the sanctions on Russia might be gradually lifted.

During the first Trump administration, Pompeo headed the CIA and later the State Department. He has not been involved in Trump’s 2024 campaign and there is no indication his proposal reflects the Republican candidate’s thinking on ending the conflict.