Vladimir Putin has effectively killed any chance of peace emerging from Donald Trump's latest negotiations, a security expert has warned, urging NATO to prepare for further conflict. Professor Anthony Glees of the University of Buckingham described the outcome of the talks as 'the most chilling' indication that the Russian president now considers himself fully prepared for all-out war.
Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, Trump's son-in-law, arrived in Moscow on Tuesday for crunch talks with Russian delegates. Despite a red-carpet reception and a lunch at an upscale restaurant, the pair were made to wait several hours before meeting Putin. Professor Glees told the Daily Express that Putin remains 'entirely confident he can outsmart Trump all the way to victory over Ukraine'.
According to Glees, by sending 'witless Witkoff and his son-in-law Jared Kushner', Trump has played his last card in a bid to convince Putin to accept a slice of Ukraine in exchange for allowing Trump to win a Nobel peace prize. 'But Putin in effect spits in Trump's face and tells him to go to hell,' Glees said. 'One way or another, unless we in Europe realise we can't rely on Trump and we cannot become Putin's vassals, we will slip into a large scale conventional war.'
Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Ukraine, with strong backing from European allies and the US, halted the initial advance and launched a counter-offensive. However, the war has ground on past its three-year anniversary, with both sides suffering economically and sustaining brutal casualties. Hopes that Trump could pressure both sides to the negotiating table have been repeatedly dashed.
