03.06.2025 

US President Donald Trump said that within a week and a half to two weeks, Washington will make a decision on further tactics in negotiations to end the war in Ukraine. This decision will largely depend on Russia’s behavior. It is worth noting that Trump has already given Putin a deadline of “two weeks” from April 27. At the same time, as American media outlets note, pressure on Trump is increasing: sanctions against Russia are being insisted on not only in Congress, but also in the White House, and Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, a close ally of Trump, has stated that he intends to achieve the introduction of new sanctions against Russia before the G7 summit, which will be held in Canada on June 15-17. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who will visit Washington in a few days, will be able to influence the position of the US president. One of the topics of the negotiations with Trump is Russia’s war against Ukraine and ways to put pressure on Russia’s position.

On June 1, 2025, an unprecedented event occurred – as a result of a Ukrainian attack on long-range aviation airfields, numerous military aircraft were hit.

This is a significant slap that cannot go unnoticed. It is a humiliation of Russia and Putin personally, a demonstration of the vulnerability of the aggressor, despite its multiple superiority in economic and military potential. What will be the Kremlin’s response and will it change the course of the negotiations?

Oleh Shamshur, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine to the USA and France, shared his thoughts on these and other issues in an exclusive interview with OBOZ.UA.

– Let’s start with the hottest topic today – strikes on Russian airfields. On June 1, 1996, Ukraine transferred its nuclear and strategic weapons to Russia within the framework of the Budapest Memorandum, including the same strategic bombers that 29 years later – on June 1, 2025 – were hit at the airfields of the Russian long-range aviation as a result of a Ukrainian attack. There is a buzz in Russia – they say, the nuclear triad has been attacked, and this requires a tough response. How tangible is this a blow to the image of Putin personally and Russia in general? After all, the entire European press is now writing that it has been proven once again: firstly, there are no “red lines”, and secondly, that Russia is not that powerful militarily, especially in the field of protecting its important strategic objects.

– I would say this: a priori, of course, this is a blow to prestige. This is evidence that Russia is not invincible. This is another confirmation of the effectiveness of our Armed Forces, Special Operations Forces. As for what the real result will be and what this will mean for Putin inside the country, we will see. We have already encountered a rather absurd situation many times when events that were supposed to reduce Putin’s prestige and stimulate certain processes in Russia or at least among the Russian elites did not lead to any changes.

Putin’s influence on his entourage, on the ruling circles, and, obviously, control over the consciousness and thoughts of the population is so strong. So we’ll see. But from an international point of view – yes, this has once again proven that Putin’s attempts at blackmail cannot and should not be the basis for making strategic decisions. He can and must be fought. I hope that those who have already come to terms with the fact that Ukraine must make some concessions, that we are supposedly on the verge of collapse – these events have shown that our fight against the Russian aggressor is possible and effective.

– How do you assess the significance of this attack for our European and American partners? Will they be scared, because Russia is already actively spreading the message about an attack on the nuclear triad, supposedly their doctrine stipulates a possible nuclear response? Or, on the contrary, maybe this will encourage increased assistance from the Europeans and reduce skepticism from Trump about Ukraine’s lack of “cards in hand”?

– This is exactly the case when we will see whether the bad habit of making strategic decisions under the influence of Russian blackmail has survived. Secondly, we will see what the reaction will be. At least I cannot say for sure what it will be, but there is hope that it will be positive for us. You are right – perhaps even Trump will understand that Ukraine has not only the “cards”, but also the desire and ability to fight against the Russian invaders. The events of recent days, including the continuous drone attacks by Russia, indicate that Trump is absolutely not in control of the situation. I mean the search for diplomatic ways to resolve the issue of ending the war in Ukraine. For us, the main thing is how much he is ready to influence Putin, as he has repeatedly threatened.

However, his latest statements, in particular those quoted by CNN – that tough sanctions against Russia will allegedly hinder peace talks – indicate that all his threats remain in the air. And it is interesting how this correlates with Senator Graham’s initiative to adopt tough sanctions against Russia. It even mentions sanctions against those who help the Russian economy stay afloat. Knowing that Graham does nothing without consulting Trump, it is interesting how this fits with his statements. In my opinion, this is just a game for the public. If sanctions are actually introduced, then we can talk about a choice. For now, Trump seems to have decided to continue the policy of seeking agreements with Putin on “reformatting” relations, and Ukraine and ending the war are only part of this plan.

– Finishing the topic of strikes – what do you think Russia’s response could be?

– To maintain prestige, Putin will need to make some kind of response. How exactly Russia will respond is hard to say. But we may, unfortunately, see another tough attack – perhaps using even more drones and missiles. Although, to be honest, it is hard to imagine how it could be even more hellish than what we have seen recently. So our Armed Forces and Air Defense Forces should be as ready as possible for another “hellfireworks”. If this happens – nothing surprising, we need to prepare for it. Our partners also need to accelerate the supply of air defense systems to Ukraine.

The situation is traditionally alarming. But it is important not only to predict what may happen, but also to actively prepare to repel the attack. And the main thing is not to allow another aggression to become an argument in favor of peace at any cost. On the contrary, right now it is necessary to put maximum pressure on Russia, especially at a time when its economy is starting to falter.

– The day before yesterday, another meeting between Ukraine and the Russian Federation took place in Istanbul. The parties arrived with absolutely unchanged positions: Ukraine – for an unconditional ceasefire without any concessions, Russia – with its demands for the actual surrender of Ukraine. Then why this meeting at all, is it purely for one spectator in the White House?

– It seems to me that the meetings are really for one spectator. To demonstrate that, supposedly, Ukraine does not reject diplomatic paths. But our room for maneuver is very limited. The Russians also have several goals: one of them is to give Trump so-called candy, saying that we are ready to negotiate. But in essence, all this does not lead to any peace. And since the second round of negotiations, like the first, did not yield any results – and the probability of this was very high – Ukraine should think about how to get out of them. And get out in a way that does not embarrass either Trump or the Europeans.

We will need to clearly explain our position: the war continues, the negotiations do not stop it, and the Russians are using them to cover up new attacks and ease sanctions. We cannot give them such an opportunity. They say: “Here we are at the negotiations, we are making concessions, exchanging prisoners” – they say, what new sanctions could we be talking about? So, it is important not to muddy the reality. And the reality is this: the war continues, the Russians are advancing, attacking the military and civilians. Those who really want to help us must understand this – and act accordingly.

– In this context, Keith Kellogg, Trump’s special representative, stated that the US has received memoranda from Russia and Ukraine with proposals for a peaceful settlement and is now trying to “reduce them to a common denominator.” Is this a game for the public, saying that the administration is doing something? Or is it a real misunderstanding that the positions of Kyiv and Moscow are completely incompatible?

– It’s even difficult to comment on this – this statement is so absurd. And Kellogg’s other statement seems even more absurd – that the US is allegedly ready to discuss with Russia the further non-expansion of NATO. This is a scandal. And it is obvious that such statements could not have been made without at least the tacit consent of Trump. Perhaps he did not directly formulate these messages, but Kellogg, judging by everything, acts in accordance with what Trump considers acceptable. This is very important for understanding the situation. Because some hope that there is a conditional “Kellogg position”, there is a “Graham position”, someone sympathizes with Ukraine more, someone less. But in the end, only the position of one person matters – unfortunately, Donald Trump. And he has repeatedly demonstrated that he makes decisions, ignoring even the advice of his closest entourage – even when this advice was constructive and beneficial for us. And if even Kellogg – whom some consider a friend of Ukraine – makes such statements, this once again confirms: the situation in the White House is very difficult for us.

https://www.obozrevatel.com/ukr/politics-news/taco-mozhe-zmusiti-trampa-diyati-zhorstko-proti-rosii-intervyu-z-shamshurom.htm