Ben Hodges, former commander of U.S. forces in Europe, has recently responded with strong criticism to statements made by Donald Trump, the President of the United States, about a potential peace in Ukraine. Hodges stated that Trump's claim of nearing a quick peace agreement is not only optimistic but also seems utterly ridiculous and unfounded.
Critique of Trump's Optimism
Trump announced on Wednesday in Washington: "Maybe we are now closer to an agreement than ever before." However, Ben Hodges emphasized in an interview with German media that there is no peace in sight and the Russian side has not given any concessions in recent negotiations. He also expressed regret that Trump did not ask the Russians to take steps towards peace and instead only pressured Ukraine.
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Lack of Interest in Serious Negotiations
Hodges also pointed out that not only Russia but also the U.S. government lacks serious interest in negotiations. For this reason, Trump sent two real estate advisors, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, to negotiate with Vladimir Putin instead of professional diplomats. The fact that no other European country has been invited to the negotiations indicates that Russia does not consider Europe entitled to a say, and this should be met with serious protests from European leaders.
Meanwhile, Vladimir Putin, the President of Russia, has expressed interest in meeting with Trump and Xi Jinping, the President of China, on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit to be held on November 18 and 19 in Shenzhen. While Trump has welcomed this idea, no official plans for this meeting have yet been made.
Ben Hodges concluded by emphasizing that the Russians' strategy in these negotiations is quite clear. They are trying to exploit the U.S. President's openness to trade with the Kremlin and draw him towards themselves against Ukraine. Relations between Washington and Kyiv have recently deteriorated sharply, and Trump has suspended planned sanctions against Russia.
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