Putin 'betting the farm' on Donald Trump 2024 presidency and 'radical' NATO move
Russian president Vladimir Putin is hoping for a Donald Trump win in the 2024 US election, according to an expert.
Former president Donald Trump is currently the frontrunner for the Republican nomination. Incumbent Joe Biden is set to lead the Democrats making next year a repeat of the 2020 election. Putin himself is set to run again in the March 2024 Russian Presidential Elections likely against a token opposition. And one expert claims Putin and Russia have a lot to gain from a Trump win.
John Lough, associate fellow of the Russia & Eurasia Programme at Chatham House, told the Mirror: "Putin is betting the farm on the return of Trump. Even if Trump delivered little for Russia in the first term - heavens know what they discussed when they met in Helsinki - there's a good chance if Trump comes to power he will do something radical in terms of foreign policy."
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Lough added: "This could bring into question the US' commitment to NATO, for example. Putin is playing a big game on a global scale. " Trump has previously expressed his views on NATO as a drain on US resources. His campaign website states: "We have to finish the process we began under my administration of fundamentally reevaluating NATO's purpose and NATO's mission."
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Mr Lough, an expert on Russia, said: "Even for the Russians, this is delicate. They probably fancy their chances that Trump is going to create uncertainty. It makes sense for them, the more chaos in the Western World the better."
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has asked for continued military aid from the US during his visit to Washington. A $60bn aid package is currently stuck in Congress due to opposition from Republicans. The Ukraine counter-offensive didn't go as well as initially hoped and many fear that without continued support from the US, Ukrainian forces could be overwhelmed.
This photograph taken on November 30, 2023 shows residential buildings destroyed by Russian shelling in the frontline village of Petropavlivka (AFP via Getty Images)US intelligence officials believe that the Russians think if they can achieve a military deadlock through the winter it will drain Western support for Ukraine and ultimately give Russia the advantage, despite the fact that Russians have sustained heavy losses and have been slowed by persistent shortages of trained personnel, munitions, and equipment.
Mr Lough warned: "So I think we've got a really kind of rocky period ahead. Because a Biden victory (in 2024), might take some of the wind out of Russia's sails."
Despite this, he added: "But the Biden administration has been relatively soft on Russia but they will still regard it as a big challenge."
* An AI tool was used to add an extra layer to the editing process for this story. You can report any errors to [email protected]
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