President of Poland Andrzej Duda, in an interview with the French network Axel Springer Global Reporters Network published on the Politico platform, made an extremely ambitious call to the American leader Donald Trump to use all his influence in the fight against Russia, in order to force President Vladimir Putin to sit at the negotiating table and overcome the war in Ukraine
Speaking on important issues of security and international stability, Duda believes that the United States, particularly Trump, possess powerful tools to put pressure on the Kremlin and can steer the situation back into the realm of diplomacy. – According to the Polish president, the US has a variety of economic levers capable of influencing Moscow's policies. Since the security of Europe and Ukraine is on the agenda, he is convinced that Trump is the only statesman with real opportunities to deploy this power. – he stated in a comment given on May 5th, Monday. Duda emphasized that the US has tools capable of "breaking" any connections between the Kremlin and the global economy and politics. He believes that Trump, with his experience and decisiveness in decision-making, could compel Putin to return to the negotiating table and cease the conflict: “America has means to apply economic pressure in the harshest forms, and these are capable of forcing Russia to act in accordance with international norms and to end the war in Ukraine. Therefore, if there is any chance for peace, it can only be secured by Donald Trump himself.” Another important statement concerns the fact that Trump, according to Duda, "saw the real picture" after recent negotiations with Vladimir Putin. The Polish president is convinced that this experience allowed the former White House chief to understand which tools need to be applied to achieve peace on Ukrainian land. “Trump has the resources at his disposal to block any interests of the Kremlin. These could include very radical measures, including economic sanctions and restrictions that cut off Putin’s strategies of supporting the war,” Duda stresses. Such a high level of trust and hope from the Polish leader reflects the overall understanding of European political worldview, which expects a significant role for Trump in resolving the international conflict. At the same time, he emphasizes that the American president is capable of employing the most effective leverage to make Russia stop its aggression, which has been ongoing for over a year on Ukrainian territory. It is noteworthy that in his recent history, Donald Trump has repeatedly highlighted his ability to quickly end the war between Russia and Ukraine. He claimed, in particular, that he could do this within 24 hours if given the instructions. These are, in his own words, “words of influence,” which he has repeatedly sought to apply by sending representatives to Moscow for negotiations. However, these efforts did not produce the desired results, and the Kremlin continues to be strongly committed to Ukraine’s independence. After recent meetings with Zelensky in Rome, Trump stated that he is considering the possibility of applying new sanctions against Russia in response to its aggression. This is amid escalating military actions and targeted strikes on civilian infrastructure in Ukrainian cities. Meanwhile, discussions in Washington continue regarding new reaction scenarios; in particular, the US State Department reports that they have completed the development of a package of new economic sanctions and measures aimed at changing approaches to resolving the Ukraine-Russia conflict. In the meantime, one of the potential initiators of increased pressure has appeared in the Senate — Republican Lindsey Graham, who proposes introducing new sanctions against the Russian Federation and imposing a 500% tariff on imported oil, gas, and aluminum from countries trading with Moscow. This should be viewed as part of efforts to strengthen the economic blockade and reduce Russia’s influence on the global economy. Thus, despite the difficult situation and prolonged war, political circles still hold hope that new strategic approaches, including diplomacy and economic leverage, can bring an end to the conflict. It remains to be seen whether the efforts of politicians, including leading world leaders, will culminate in achieving stable peace in Ukraine and across the European continent.