Russia has brutally mocked Donald Trump over his lack of negotiating skills in relation to Ukraine. The US President hosted Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday last week to discuss plans to supply Ukraine with long-range Tomahawk cruise missiles.
Trump had previously hinted he was considering sanctioning the sale of the deadly missiles, which have a range of range of 2,500 km (1,550 miles) and could hit anywhere in Russia, including Moscow. He had told reporters in the run-up to the Zelensky summit that “we may not, but we may do it… Do they (Russians) want to have Tomahawks going in their direction? I don’t think so.” Kyiv wants the missiles to be able to better target Russian energy infrastructure, as it seeks to disrupt fuel supplies to Putin’s army and disrupt the Kremlin’s war economy.
In a clear sign that the Kremlin was extremely worried about the possible delivery of the cruise missiles, Putin warned Tump that such a move would destroy relations between the United States and Russia.
Following a phone call with Putin on the Thursday before he hosted Zelensky at the White House, Trump appeared to cool speculation about supplying Ukraine with Tomahawks, as he announced another peace conference with the Kremlin boss in Budapest.
Zelensky subsequently left the White House on Friday empty handed, following reports of another heated bust up between the two men.
The failure of the Tomahawk missile talks was gleefully seized upon by the Kremlin, who then proceeded to mock Trump’s approach to the negotiations.
The Kremlin’s leading attack dog was wheeled out onto state TV to take aim at the blundering US President. Showing no respect for Trump’s claim to be a master of deal making, Vladimir Solovyov launched a withering critique of the US President’s strategy.
Assuming a pose of incredulity, he told his studio guests: “When you truly strengthen your negotiating position, you first deploy weapons.
“You provide weapons. You build a position. You say this is exactly how it will be. And then you tell your opponent ‘well if you want to talk…’
“In this situation (Trump’s words) the initial phrase was ‘I’m considering it (transferring Tomahawks to Ukraine) but I’ll make a decision after talking with Putin first.’
“And that’s not strengthening America’s position at all! A position is strengthened when the enemy says ‘I’ve delivered them (to Ukraine), there they are (long-range missiles) and if anything happens, we’ll hit you’.
“War is decided differently – not by talk, but by action. Therefore until you’ve deployed them on the ground and shown them (the missiles) it is all empty talk. It is all absolutely empty talk.”
