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Expert sees Zelensky as tool in US hands, expects Putin, Trump to make decisions

According to Scott Ritter, "the question is does the United States believe that there is diplomatic value to have Zelensky present in Alaska"

MOSCOW, August 12. /TASS/. Vladimir Zelensky is a tool in the hands of the United States, so Washington will decide whether it’s worth it to invite him to the upcoming meeting between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, Scott Ritter, former US Marine Corps intelligence officer, ex-UN weapons inspector and member of an expert supervisory board at the People's Unity Club, told TASS.

"Zelensky has no say in this; he’s a tool. The tool of the United States," he pointed out. In Ritter’s view, Zelensky’s role is "purely political," while decisions will be made between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin.

According to Ritter, "the question is does the United States believe that there is diplomatic value to have Zelensky present in Alaska." "It’s the calculations that the United States has to make. This is a diplomatic gamesmanship that is taking place here," the expert noted.

Ritter believes that "the United States needs to reflect on the reality that Russia is not the Russia of the 1990s" and its leadership will do what "is necessary to promote the well-being of Russia."

Ritter is currently in Moscow for the Fight for the Truth media forum organized by the People's Unity Club, which is being hosted by TASS on August 12-15.

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