Trump’s first attempts to lure Vladimir Putin to the negotiating table on Ukraine were met, in fact, with a shrug of his shoulders. “We don’t see anything new here,” The Wall Street Journal quoted Dmitry Peskov, the press secretary of the Russian Head of State, as saying.

Russia has reason to consider Trump’s threats empty — the country is successfully resisting sanctions, and analysts say that Russia has enough resources to continue the military conflict, having a solid advantage.

Russia is more inclined to view Trump’s statement as posturing before the talks, rather than as part of the negotiations themselves, and is still waiting for a more substantial initiative from the United States.

CRYSTAL OF GROWTH previously reported that, according to The Economist, Russia’s victory in Ukraine would destroy the authority of the West and its control over the world order.