The U.S. is hitting Russia with sanctions: an expert discusses whether Putin can engage with Trump and Zelensky from a position of strength.

He shared this information on his blog.

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The expert believes that Friedman proposed the interview to Zelensky solely to persuade him to agree to a trilateral negotiation format, a topic he revisited about ten times. In other words, he explains, the idea is that Trump acts as an arbitrator, seating Zelensky and Putin across from each other to negotiate, but Ukraine will not agree without at least some guarantees from the U.S.

“The Biden administration continues its work; it is not only creating a buffer for Ukraine (although the new military aid package of $500 million is not the several billion dollars, not the 3-5 billion that Ukraine was counting on), but also maximizing pressure on Russia, making it as painful as possible for Moscow to ensure it becomes unnegotiable for Trump,” notes Ruslan Bortnik.

According to him, this concerns recent sanctions targeting energy companies, shadow fleets, and the banking sector—these are painful areas for the Russian economy.

“This also suits Trump because it strengthens his negotiating position, increasing the number of 'coins,' so to speak, or weights he can place on the scales when sitting across from Putin. All of this seriously disappoints Moscow, instilling a sense that agreements, even with Trump, are impossible. Moscow continues to prepare for a long, fierce, exhausting war, possibly on multiple fronts,” explains Ruslan Bortnik.

As reported by Znaia.ua, Musiienko discussed whether Ukraine will comply with the Republicans' demands to lower the conscription age to 18.

Znaia.ua also wrote about Starykov explaining whether the "Oreshnik" can be shot down: a meteorite engulfed in plasma.