According to Kurt Volker, former US Special Representative for Ukraine, Vladimir Putin’s objectives regarding Ukraine remain unchanged. In a recent interview, volker discussed Donald trump’s evolving views on the conflict, noting a shift from promising peace to suggesting a hands-off approach.

In an interview with Ukrainian media outlet Glacier, Kurt Volker, who served as Special Representative for Ukraine from 2017 to 2019, during Donald Trump’s first term, addressed Trump’s stance. Initially, Trump pledged to secure peace in Ukraine within 24 hours, but later indicated it might be “Preferable to let Ukraine and Russia fight.”

Volker stated that Donald Trump “Make it as if Ukraine and Russia were morally equivalent, instead of recognizing that one is the aggressor and that the other defends himself.” He added, “I think Trump is disappointed that Putin does not want to end this war. he thought it would be very easy and natural, but it is not the case. I think it surprises Trump, but he always tries to convince Putin to accept a cease-fire instead of resorting to coercion. I think it has the feeling that the only way to put an end to war is that Putin agrees to stop him and stop fighting for a long time.”

Volker continued, “Consequently, Trump does not want to increase the pressure on Putin. He does not want new sanctions, he does not want to criticize him, he does not want to call him at the moment. This leads to a very unbalanced assessment of this war. Trump has a strong pressure on Ukraine and feeds great expectations towards him,as he considers it as the weakest part,when he has no expectations on the part of Russia. And it’s very disappointing. I think it will continue. Trump will not change anything he does now. He is resolute to continue this momentum.”

Trump’s Perspective on the Conflict

“Putin wants to restore the Russian Empire, destroy Ukraine, and will not change a position.”

Addressing Donald Trump’s remarks regarding the “spider web” operation, where Trump stated, “The Ukrainians gave Putin a reason to intervene and bomb,” Volker expressed his disapproval. He emphasized that “It’s terrible. Such a statement by the American president ignores the fact that Russia bombes Ukraine every day: nearly 500 drones on kyiv and kharkiv. And it’s not new.”

Volker clarified that Donald Trump’s perspective “Distorts the situation in Ukraine. Putin does not need reason to bomb Ukraine. He does it systematically, as it is indeed his choice. Putin wants to bomb Ukraine, restore the Russian Empire, destroy Ukraine, its national identity. And putin will not change a position, he is very clear and consistent on this subject. For his part, Trump refuses to recognize the actions of Putin, and that is the whole problem.”

Regarding Trump’s allegiances, Volker stated, “I think that Trump is on the side of the United States. He does not consider this war to be in the interest of the United States. He thinks that it is a terrible war that harms Ukraine, Russia and trade. So he wants to end it.And the conditions of this end do not interest him.”

Looking ahead, Mr. Volker believes that “We will end up reaching a ceasefire and a deterrence.Ukraine will benefit from security guarantees, will reconstruct its economy, will benefit from the support of Europe and will progress on the way to the accession to the EU (…). But, in my opinion, we will never have a peace agreement between Ukraine and Russia. Of course, Ukraine must not recognize any Russian occupation of its territory. I plan a very long -term confrontation, not resolved by military route, but which will never recognize the legitimacy of the Russian occupation.”