Insiders say that Russian despot Vladimir Putin is desperately hoping a change of power in the White House could lead to the US pulling support for the war in Ukraine
Russian President Vladimir Putin is pinning his hopes on a Trump election victory next year followed by the US lowering support for Ukraine , western officials believe.
The Kremlin believes that if Donald Trump regains the White House he could dump US backing for Kyiv and weaken resolve against Russia ’s invasion. Even though Russia has been hit by a string of military losses, culminating in a slow withdrawal from Ukraine, it will be the biggest and possibly most deluded gamble of Putin’s war.
On Wednesday western officials confirmed that Ukraine’s counter-offensive was slower than had been hoped but said, even so, that Russian troops were being driven back. One official said: “I think that it’s slower progress than we would have anticipated a couple of months ago. That’s not a criticism of Ukraine.
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“If we obsess about how many hundreds of metres Ukraine has achieved today that becomes a metric for what is a substantial war that challenges euro-Atlantic security.
“One that has been a catastrophic failure for Russia because it has failed on all of its broader strategic objectives and military objectives. NATO is much stronger, Ukraine has got a bright future.
“Putin thinks he has time. I think if you’re Putin you are basically gambling that Donald Trump wins the next election. But that is a long way away.”
The official added that Russia slowing down Ukraine’s advance does not point towards a major problem for Ukraine and its western allies. And he highlighted the fact that a recent Wagner Group attempt by leader Yevgeny Prigozhin to launch an uprising indicated a failing Russia.
Source: https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/us-news/vladimir-putin-gambling-donald-trump-30877158