LOS ANGELES.–Kremlin Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova questioned today whether 78-year-old President Donald Trump could deliver on his promise to end the Ukraine War, questioning past promises of Trump’s on a Mideast peace. “We saw the statements—Trump said he would resolve the conflict within 24 hours, the Vance said that China is a bigger problem for the United States than the Russia-Ukraine conflict,” Zakharova told reporters. Zakharov spews Russian propaganda, looking to discredit the United States, especially after Biden decided to end decades of diplomacy, détente and arms control with the Kremlin. “They prepared for the ‘deal of the century’ for quite a long time, but it did not end anything, and under Biden, on the contrary, a colossal historical tragedy happened,” Zakharova said, referring to the Gaza War. Zakharova walks a fine line speculating about U.S. internal affairs.
When Trump was president, Zakharova knew that the U.S. was not at war with the Kremlin. Trump, president from 2017 to 2021, maintained post WW II relations with the Kremlin, working on more pragmatic and cooperative relations. Zakharova knows that Biden is the first U.S. president in modern history to wage proxy war in Ukraine against the Russian Federation. Zakharova knows that Trump had a good working relationship with Trump and with a little bit of statesmanship he and 71-year-old Russian President Vladimir Putin could easily agree on basic conditions for ending the Ukraine War. Whether Ukraine’s 46-year-old President Volodymyr Zelensky goes along with any peace plan isn’t known. But Trump could heap a lot of pressure on the Kiev government. Whatever happened in the Mideast, it has nothing to do with the Ukraine conflict.
Putin has to be careful saying anything that could be used by Democrats and the press to attack Trump, knowing the history with the fake Russian hoax. Former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton branded Trump a “Putin puppet,” prompting the FBI to investigate Trump in 2016 for Russian collusion. While the Russian hoax was disproven by former Special Counsel Robert Mueller in 2019, Democrats and the press are ready to pounce again on Trump. Kremlin officials weren’t happy with Biden calling Zelensky “President Putin” at last week’s Washington, D.C. NATO summit. Biden called Putin a “murderous madman,” an incendiary remark further antagonizing the Kremlin if that’s possible. Putin has said many things of little consequence about the upcoming U.S. election, including he’d prefer an “old school” politician like Biden because of his predictability.
Putin has been making overtures since March 2022, only weeks after the Feb. 24, 2022 invasion, that he was open to ending the conflict. Many well-intentioned countries have submitted peace proposals, all of which rebuffed by Zelensky for allegedly favoring Russia. But if Trump’s elected in November, Zelensky will run out of options for refusing to settle the conflict. Zelensky knows his bankrupt Kiev government relies heavily on U.S. cash-and-weapons to keep the government and war going. Zelensky only hopes he can see Biden reelected to keep the gravy train rolling in Kiev. But things aren’t looking good for Biden or any other Democrat that might replace him. So, when Zakharova said she’s uncertain about political statements during an election year, she plays cat-and-mouse, knowing that Putin and Trump could very easily solve the Ukraine War.
When Biden calls Putin a “murderous madman” he’s acting like a loose cannon, knowing his insults only make getting U.S. citizens stuck in Russian jails impossible to get out. Whatever Biden thinks at this point is questionable based on his June 27 CNN debate where he seemed incoherent. Disparaging Putin or Chinese President Xi Jinping has hurt U.S. foreign policy and national security. Even former President Barack Obama has had enough of Biden’s erratic comments, now asking for him to step aside in the 2024 presidential race. Putin knows that Biden isn’t the same U.S. leader he knew in the past and must face the reality that he’ll most likely deal with Trump in the future. Calling Biden’s remarks “disrespectful and unacceptable,” Zakaharova knows that Biden isn’t long for the campaign. Russia must wait until Trump can set the U.S. back on track.
U.S. foreign policy is up in the air with Biden at the helm, bickering within his party of whether he’ll step aside and pass the torch to 58-year-old Vice President Kamala Harris. Stricken with Covid for the third time, Biden is in quarantine huddling with his 73-year-old wife Jill and 78-year-old sister Valerie Owens contemplating his next move. All indications point to Joe calling it quits and giving Kamala a shot at what looks like an uphill battle for Democrats in 2024. Kamala has her own negatives with approval ratings even lower than Biden if that’s possible. Trump has a lot of baggage but he just survived to completely avoidable assassination attempt by another renegade post-teenager. Surviving an assassin’s bullet, Trump walks away with a wind at his back, a candidate of destiny. Whether it’s Biden or Harris, very little could change the narrative in 2024.
About the Author
John M. Curtis writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news. He’s editor of OnlineColumnist.com and author of Dodging The Bullet and Operation Charisma.
