WASHINGTON, July 17. /TASS/. The possible death of Republican Donald Trump as a result of an assassination attempt could have ruined the prospects for resolving the conflict in Ukraine, Richard Black, former State Senator in the Virginia state legislature, told TASS.

"Donald Trump is determined to promptly end the war in Ukraine. That opportunity was nearly dashed by the attempted assassin. Hopefully, this was an isolated incident, but Mr. Trump must be carefully protected for the sake of world peace," Black said.

According to the expert’s estimates, "throughout the campaign, the administration seems to have provided inadequate security for Biden’s presidential opponents."

"It denied Secret Service protection to independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy, whose uncle, President John F. Kennedy, and whose father, U.S. Senator Robert F. Kennedy, were both assassinated while campaigning for the presidency. Many Americans were surprised by Biden’s refusal to protect Kennedy, especially in light of his tragic family history," Black noted.

He recalled that Mike Waltz, member of the US House of Representatives (Republican, Florida) said that "requests by the Trump campaign for additional security were rebuffed" although Biden’s administration "strongly denied it."

Earlier, a senior Republican Party official taking part in the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee (Wisconsin) told a TASS correspondent that Trump would be ready to enter into dialogue with Russian leader Vladimir Putin to resolve the conflict in Ukraine without any mediators.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stressed that Russia remains open to any dialogue on Ukraine, including with the participation of mediators, but on condition of achieving its goals.

At a meeting with the leadership of the Foreign Ministry on June 14, Putin named the conditions for resolving the situation in Ukraine. They include the withdrawal of the Ukrainian armed forces from Donbass and Novorossiya, Kiev’s refusal to join NATO. Russia considers it necessary to lift all Western sanctions against it and establish a non-aligned and nuclear-free status for Ukraine. Putin indicated that if Ukraine and the West refuse these conditions, then they may change in the future. Kiev rejected Moscow’s peace plan.

The assassination attempt on Trump took place on July 13 at an election rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. A bullet grazed the ex-president’s ear, but he is in stable condition. As a result of the shooting, one of his supporters was killed. The attacker, 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, was killed by Secret Service officers. The motives of the perpetrator are still unknown.