By Eurotopics
Making it easier for Putin to kill
People will pay for this decision with their lives, Handelsblatt (Germany) warns:
鈥淭he halted weapons supplies include deliveries of Patriot missiles, which Ukraine needs for air defence, especially against ballistic missiles. … With an adequate air defence the Ukrainian army can intercept or shoot down these weapons before they hit homes, schools, pharmacies and hospitals. … Ukraine has ever fewer defence weapons at its disposal. The consequence is clear: with poorer air defence even more civilians, elderly people and children will die for no reason. The upshot: US President Donald Trump is making it easier for Russian leader Vladimir Putin to kill Ukrainians.鈥
US president playing poker again
For Italian La Repubblica, it is highly questionable whether this latest move by Trump will push Putin towards negotiations:
鈥淭rump鈥檚 surprise move of suspending deliveries of air defence weapons to Kyiv is an obvious attempt to get it to resume negotiations with Putin. As in a poker game, Trump wants to get his opponent to reconsider his 鈥榥yet鈥. And he is doing this without any consideration for Ukraine and the European allies because he sees the game with Putin as one between two opponents. However the Kremlin leader appears to be rejecting the US president鈥檚 advance once again. 鈥楻ussia will not give up its goals in Ukraine,鈥 Putin says.鈥
Upping pressure on Ukraine
Trump wants to influence Ukraine rather than Russia, says Ilta-Sanomat (Finland):
鈥淭he announced pauses in deliveries are unlikely to have a decisive impact on the situation at the front. However Russia is intensifying its attacks along the long front line. … So it鈥檚 easy to see the US decision as a means of exerting pressure on Ukraine to make concessions. This would accelerate the process of agreeing a ceasefire and perhaps even peace. A tough package of sanctions against Russia is currently being prepared in the US Congress, but it is subject to Trump鈥檚 approval. So far he seems to be finding it easier to up the pressure on Ukraine.鈥
These arms will be used against Iran
The US weapons are being diverted for more attacks on Iran, russian political scientist Nikolay Mitrokhin surmises on Facebook:
鈥淭he temporary – according to Washington – suspension of deliveries of air defence missiles and Himars rockets to Ukraine is an unmistakable sign that this military equipment will be used against a different target – Iran. A few days ago, Iran officially withdrew from IAEA monitoring. At the same time, Trump announced that another secret facility in Iran鈥檚 nuclear programme may exist. The enriched uranium is hidden. According to the all information available, the facilities have not been suffered enough damage to put a stop to the programme. In short, a second strike is inevitable.鈥
Trump鈥檚 decision could backfire
The pause in weapons deliveries will also have consequences for Washington, political scientist Petro Oleshchuk stresses in Ukrainian Unian:
鈥淥f course, such a decision really does look like the US is using this means to exert pressure on Ukraine. On the other hand this is a very special instrument, because at the same time it leaves the US looking like an unreliable partner that is not providing supplies that have already been agreed for political reasons. … So this whole game is a double-edged sword. If, for example, the US were to completely stop supplying missiles for the Patriot systems and the Russians were to intensify their shelling of Ukrainian cities against this backdrop, it could be politically risky for the Trump administration – at the purely domestic level.鈥
Wooing Washington is pointless
We鈥檙e now seeing just how unreliable the US is as an ally, ukrainian political scientist Oleksandr Kraiev notes on Facebook:
鈥淲e reached an agreement on raw materials, one that was balanced and took the interests of both sides into account. We began to play along with Trump – addressing him, quoting him, pointing out that he is right and plays a prominent role. Just the way he likes it. … The Nato summit was also tailored to Trump鈥檚 interests. We played along at the G7 summit – despite Trump鈥檚 infantile behaviour. And now this is the result. This would also appear to be a very good lesson for Taiwan, Israel, Europe and all those who consider Trump their 鈥榩artner and friend鈥.鈥
See the original here.