WASHINGTON, March 4. /TASS/. US President Donald Trump is sincerely trying to settle the Ukrainian conflict in order to gain the support of American citizens and to shift the main US focus to confrontation with China, a former high-ranking US official close to the current administration told TASS.
Commenting on the start of negotiations between Moscow and Washington, he said that Trump really wants to end the hostilities in Ukraine, also with the purpose of showing that his predecessor Joe Biden "worked ineffectively." "This will help him (Trump - TASS) in a political sense," the source emphasized. According to him, in case of success in Ukraine, Trump will be able to demonstrate that he managed to achieve the peace settlement after several months in office, while Biden failed to do so for years of his presidency.
"After three years of ineffective efforts of the Biden administration to end the hostilities in Ukraine, President Trump brings new hope that they will soon be over, and lives will be saved," the former official said.
China policy
However, "the center of attention [of the Trump administration] will be China," and Washington now considers the conflict in Ukraine only "as part of the distractions," the source emphasized.
According to him, Trump insists that the US gain access to Ukrainian resources "for the big aid" provided to it, and "is ready to use all kinds of carrots and sticks to achieve this."
At the same time, the West would like Ukraine to return "to its 2014 borders, but this is not happening," the former official said. He suggested that the Trump administration realizes this is due to "the realities on the ground."
Responding to a question on what Trump now wants from French President Emmanuel Macron and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, the source said that the US leader seeks their help in "countering China." In this regard, he confirmed that the US has not given up on the idea of driving a wedge between Russia and China. According to the former official, Trump proceeds from the belief that "it is better for Russia to be an ally of the US than China."
The former official also called Moscow's initiative on US participation in the mining of rare-earth metals and potential aluminum supplies in the US "a timely proposal." At the same time, the source did not reveal any details about the implementation of these ideas.
'Uncharted waters'
Speaking about Trump's reforms and the threat of their complete repeal by the next US administration, the former official admitted that it could not be ruled out. "But we're in uncharted waters now," he said, describing Trump's reforms as "unprecedented in US history." According to the source, the US Democratic Party and Trump's successor will find it difficult to reverse the current US leader's decisions if they are successful.