Moscow [Russia], September 25: Russia is facing multi-dimensional pressure as the US increases diplomatic and economic pressure to force Moscow to the negotiating table, while Europe is increasingly tough on unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) violations.
Trump's "trick"
Speaking at the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York on September 23, US President Donald Trump affirmed that the US was ready to impose a series of strong tariffs on Russia if Moscow did not reach an agreement to end the conflict in Ukraine. The US leader also called on Europe to stop buying Russian oil because he said that was no different than "financing a war against itself", according to Reuters. The above statements marked an escalation in Mr. Trump's tough stance towards the Kremlin amid the ongoing conflict in Ukraine .
In addition, President Trump also "changed his tone" on the Ukraine issue. After meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly on September 23, Mr. Trump wrote on the Truth Social platform: "After better understanding the military and economic situation between Ukraine and Russia, and seeing the difficulties of the Russian economy, I believe Ukraine can fight and regain all its territory with the support of Europe." Mr. Trump also compared Russia to a "paper tiger" and expressed disappointment with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The US leader announced that Washington will continue to provide weapons to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) for the bloc's "full use".
President Trump's changes in stance were called a "game changer" by US Republican Senator Lindsey Graham. However, observers said that Mr. Trump's statements were mainly aimed at creating diplomatic pressure to force Russia to the negotiating table, and did not reflect any specific policy change from Washington, according to Politico. A few hours after Mr. Trump's statements, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio affirmed that the Russia-Ukraine conflict "cannot end militarily", but must be through negotiations. This shows that the US still leaves the dialogue channel open, in parallel with increasing pressure on Russia.
For his part, President Zelensky called this statement "a big change, very positive", and emphasized: "Now Mr. Trump understands that we cannot cede territory. That is not fair." Previously, Mr. Trump mentioned that Ukraine would have to cede part of its territory in exchange for a peace agreement with Russia.
"UAV Escalation Trap"
In another development, President Trump said on September 23 that NATO should shoot down Russian UAVs if they violate the bloc's airspace. Mr. Trump emphasized that whether the US supports NATO allies in shooting down Russian aircraft or not will "depend on the circumstances."
Following Trump's move, Polish Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski quickly wrote on social network X: "Clear." Meanwhile, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte reaffirmed the alliance's commitment to protecting its territorial integrity, but said that shooting down any Russian aircraft violating its airspace would be based on real-time intelligence and the level of threat they could pose, according to The Kyiv Independent .
Unlike the US and Poland, Germany has been cautious. German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius has called for calm among NATO members, saying that overreaction to the intrusions is threatening peace and security in Europe. According to Mr. Pistorius, President Putin wants to provoke NATO allies to react strongly as part of an "escalation trap."
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper