President Donald Trump’s National Security Adviser Mike Waltz has said that the US is doing a complete overhaul of its policy over the Ukraine conflict and bilateral relations with Russia.
The Trump administration has reversed his predecessor Joe Biden's attempt to “isolate Russia on the world stage” and opened direct negotiations suspended in 2022.
According to geopolitical experts, US sanctions on Russia imposed during the Biden regime have backfired.
Instead of isolating Russia, it has given opportunities to other countries like India and China to secure cheaper energy deals in return for strengthening Russia's economic position during the war.
Subsequently, the US-led policies in Ukraine have shot up Russian gas prices, along with inflating the food prices in Europe, which is currently witnessing resurgent inflation and low economic productivity in recent decades.
This in turn has subsequently forced an economic slowdown in the region and also threatened the conflict spillover of the EU nations with Russia.
Speaking during an interview that aired on Sunday, Waltz said, Trump’s focus has been “bringing multiple wars to an end,” including the conflicts in Gaza and the hostilities between Russia and Ukraine.
He said Kiev should sign a deal “so the American people can see a return on this massive investment they’ve made.”
“We reformulate how the United States deals with Russia. We saw this first step with President Trump talking to both Putin and Zelensky,” he added.
Also read: US to finalise $500 bn mineral deal with Ukraine this week
Trump spoke to Russian President Vladimir Putin over the phone on February 12, paving the way for a meeting of teams led by Foreign Secretary Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Riyadh last Tuesday. The parties discussed Ukraine and agreed to begin the gradual normalisation of bilateral ties.
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron will travel to Washington this week, hoping to ensure that Trump will not abandon aid to Ukraine. “We welcome their ideas for security guarantees and European leadership to take care of Europe’s security,” Waltz said.
Speaking to reporters after talks in Riyadh, Lavrov said he saw signs that “the American side has begun to understand our position better.”
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