Putin will not enter negotiations regardless of the U.S. election results – CNN

The results of the U.S. presidential election will not influence Russian President Vladimir Putin’s stance on Russia’s war against Ukraine.

This statement was made by Thomas Graham, an expert on Russian foreign policy and a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, during an interview with the American television channel CNN.

CNN published excerpts from this conversation on Sunday, November 3.

According to the political analyst, the Kremlin currently has “no reason to reconsider what it is doing in Ukraine.”

“What [Trump] thinks he can do and the influence he possesses are not yet clear—and I don’t think it [negotiations on Ukraine] is a quick process,” Graham explained.

No matter who becomes the head of state in the U.S., the Kremlin will attempt to exploit what it sees as dysfunctions in the American political system, as well as “cracks in Western unity,” the expert noted.

John Lough, an associate fellow at the British think tank Chatham House, shares a similar perspective.

“For Putin, Ukraine is merely a means to an end, and the goal is to further limit U.S. influence on international affairs,” Lough said.

“When [Trump’s] advisors explain to him what is actually happening and the fact that China plays a key role in supporting Russia’s ability to continue this war,” the Republican “may unexpectedly realize that he is not so well-disposed towards Putin,” added Lough. At the same time, Beijing will perceive any concessions as “yet another sign of U.S. weakness,” noted the British analyst.

Experts believe that a reduction in U.S. spending on assistance could lead to changes on the battlefield.

Putin will try to exploit what he sees as political dysfunctions in the U.S. and “cracks in Western unity” with any potential U.S. president, Graham added.

Analysts also explain that the scale of the war is too vast for simple negotiations between Moscow and Kyiv. In reality, it is a much broader conflict between Russia and the West.

Regardless of who wins the White House race, the war will continue, “possibly with less intensity, but for a long time.”

“A Harris administration would certainly not betray Ukrainians, but it would indeed test their resolve and whether they are ready to continue waging this exhausting war,” suggested John Lough, an associate fellow in the Russia and Eurasia Programme at Chatham House in London.