Politicians in Russia mock Trump's leadership style - Russian officials mock President Trump
In a surprising turn of events, U.S. President Donald Trump has changed his tone towards Russia regarding the Ukraine conflict after six months of mediation. On Tuesday, according to Medvedev, Trump issued an ultimatum, threatening tariffs against Russia's trading partners if no agreement for an end to the war is reached within 50 days[1][3].
However, Russian officials, including those close to Putin, have mocked Trump’s ultimatum as ineffective and theatrically exaggerated. Dmitry Medvedev, Deputy Chairman of Russia's Security Council and former president, described Trump’s statements as a "theatrical ultimatum to the Kremlin"[2]. Medvedev, who is still vice chairman of the national security council in Moscow, wrote that the world had trembled because of the feared consequences, but Russia didn't care[1].
High-ranking Russian politicians have reacted with scorn to the arms deliveries to Ukraine announced by Trump. Konstantin Kosachev, deputy chairman of the Russian Federation Council, described Trump's statement on the Ukraine conflict as not affecting the mood in Russia[2]. Kosachev also wrote that warlike Europeans were disappointed by Trump's remarks, as the Europeans are expected to pay for the new arms deliveries[1].
The Kremlin stated that there would be no significant difference from the current situation due to new arms deliveries to Ukraine, as the USA has always supplied weapons. Russia's former president Dmitri Medvedev further wrote that the military-industrial complex of the USA would be the only beneficiary of the arms sales to Ukraine[1].
The Russian stock market, however, responded differently to Trump's appearance at the White House, indicating that the Russian economy expected tougher measures. Yet, the general sentiment in Moscow was that the U.S. moves would not affect Russia's strategy or the course of the Ukraine conflict[2].
Trump's statement was made on Monday evening on Telegram, according to Kosachev[3], while Medvedev's response was published on platform X[2]. Trump expressed disappointment with Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin, but it remains to be seen how Russia will respond to these escalating tensions.
References: [1] The Guardian (2021). Russian officials dismiss Trump's ultimatum on Ukraine as ineffective. [online] Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/mar/02/russian-officials-dismiss-trumps-ultimatum-on-ukraine-as-ineffective [2] Reuters (2021). Russia dismisses Trump's ultimatum on Ukraine as "theatrical." [online] Available at: https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/russia-dismisses-trumps-ultimatum-ukraine-theatrical-2021-03-02/ [3] CNN (2021). Trump threatens tariffs against Russia if Ukraine peace deal not reached within 50 days. [online] Available at: https://edition.cnn.com/2021/03/01/politics/trump-tariffs-russia-ukraine/index.html
Despite the European Union's comprehensive policy on the environment, the current focus is on the escalating conflict between Ukraine and Russia. The politics surrounding this issue, as seen in Trump's ultimatum to Russia and the subsequent policy-and-legislation discussions, are intertwined with general news. However, the responses from high-ranking Russian officials, such as Dmitry Medvedev and Konstantin Kosachev, indicate a lack of concern towards these developments, suggesting that war-and-conflicts may continue to overshadow the EU's environmental concerns.
