Karina Bovsunovska 09:51, 13.07.25 UNIAN

According to David Cramer, Trump already understands that the Russian dictator does not want to end the war

A signal of a change in the US president’s attitude towards Russian dictator Vladimir Putin will be the resumption of military aid to Ukraine, which was suspended last week due to “an extremely senseless decision by the Pentagon.” This opinion was expressed by former US Assistant Secretary of State and Director of the George W. Bush Institute David Kremer in an interview with Radio Liberty .

“The president has given orders for the supply of weapons, including missiles for the Patriot complexes. He has also asked European partners whether they can provide Ukrainians with similar missiles from their arsenals. If we see the resumption of regular armaments, this will mean a reversal in the course that Trump has followed so far. This course, as it has become obvious, is leading nowhere, because Vladimir Putin has demonstrated a complete lack of interest in ending the war, despite Trump’s numerous attempts to convince him to agree to a ceasefire,” he noted.

Kremer believes that Trump sincerely wants to end the war, which is why he feels pain when he sees the human casualties and understands that the responsibility for the deaths and destruction lies with Russian President Vladimir Putin, who started this war. 

“At the same time, during his first presidency, Donald Trump established working relations with Putin, but they did not work out with Volodymyr Zelensky – as was clearly demonstrated by the infamous meeting between Trump and Zelensky at the White House on February 28 of this year. However, recent months have clearly shown a change in this balance. Meetings between Trump and Zelensky take place in an atmosphere of mutual understanding, relations between the two presidents seem to be improving, and Trump’s contacts with Putin do not bring the expected results. Moreover, Putin “responded” to Trump’s last conversation last week with massive airstrikes on Ukraine, the victims of which were dozens of civilians,” the former US assistant secretary of state emphasized.

According to Cramer, Trump is now irritated, and the tone of his statements towards Putin is becoming harsher. The expert also noted that the US president understands that the Russian dictator does not want to end the war. 

“I think there is a fairly high probability that President Trump’s approach to this conflict is changing. There have just been reports that he is not opposed to moving forward with a bill on secondary sanctions against countries that trade with Russia. This bill is being actively promoted by his political ally, Senator Lindsey Graham. Speaker of the House of Representatives Mike Johnson has also announced that the lower house of Congress will be ready to consider the relevant bill,” the director of the George W. Bush Institute assured.

Cramer expressed the opinion that President Trump is beginning to free himself from the illusions that were noticeable earlier, especially when he said that he could end the war in Ukraine in one day. 

“I hope it becomes clear to him that the war can only be stopped by hurting Putin: through the supply of weapons to Ukraine, the confiscation of $300 billion in Russian state assets in Western banks – that is, by making it clear that he has no other choice but to conclude a peace agreement with Ukraine,” he added.Read also:

Trump’s policy on the war in Ukraine – latest news

CBS previously reported that  Trump is considering new funding for Ukraine. The new funding could be a signal to Russia, which has been carrying out drone and missile strikes on Ukrainian cities in recent days.

According to sources, Trump has $3.85 billion left over from Biden’s presidency, so this money could be used to send American military equipment to Ukraine.

At the same time, a columnist for The Wall Street Journal expressed the opinion that Trump is beginning to recognize that Putin poses a real threat . According to her, Trump’s decision to step back from solving some global problems, including the war in Ukraine, can only harm him.

The columnist added that the Kremlin leader continues to lead Trump by the nose, telling him what he believes to be plausible. However, the US president said that he believes that Putin probably does not want a ceasefire after all.