"The Kremlin Is Getting Nervous"
- 24.06.2026, 16:03
A political strategist explained why Trump has become more favorable toward Ukraine.
The Kremlin is reacting with increasing unease to the fact that Donald Trump has begun to view Ukraine’s actions more favorably, particularly its long-range strikes against Russian targets. Russian diplomats are already claiming that the U.S. president has allegedly lost his role as an “objective mediator” and is leaning toward Kyiv.
Political strategist Yuri Podorozhny said on the air “Channel 24” explained what might have changed Trump’s approach to Ukraine. According to him, it’s not just a matter of the U.S. president’s mood, but also the fact that Kyiv itself is setting the direction of policy and no longer allows key issues to be decided without its involvement.
The Kremlin has realized that Trump won’t save it
The Kremlin likely understood even earlier that Trump would not guarantee a favorable outcome of the war for Russia. Putin tried for a long time to keep the U.S. president within the confines of his own logic: he promised one thing, did another, dragged out the process, and counted on the pressure ultimately being directed primarily at Ukraine.
“Putin led Trump by the nose for so long, promising one thing and doing another. Trump put up with all of this,” Podorozhny explained.
The position that Ukraine could supposedly be simply forced to make concessions and quickly sign an agreement did not work. Trump has access to intelligence, economic analysis, and all the tools that allow him to see the real situation, so it’s becoming increasingly difficult for the Kremlin to “sell” him the old playbook.
“Clearly, this position—that if you apply the right amount of pressure on Ukraine, it will make concessions—isn’t working,” the political strategist noted.
At the same time, we shouldn’t overestimate the consistency of Trump’s statements. If today he expresses satisfaction with Ukraine’s actions—in particular, strikes against Russian targets—that doesn’t mean his rhetoric won’t change in just a few hours.
“We see how Trump operates: in the morning he says he’s satisfied, but by evening the situation can change dramatically,” Podorozhny noted.
But what’s more important is this: Ukraine itself sets the direction of policy regarding the war.
“The most important thing is that we are objective. They don’t discuss us behind our backs or present us with a fait accompli on various issues,” Podorozhny emphasized.
Kyiv raises its own questions and tries to influence the agenda, rather than simply reacting to the positions of Washington or Brussels.
It is precisely this stance that is forcing Trump to respond differently. Ukraine’s long-range strikes, resilience on the front lines, and ability to set the pace on its own show its partners that Kyiv isn’t waiting for someone to offer it a ready-made scenario for ending the war.
Trump is no longer playing by the Kremlin’s old playbook—and how this is upending Putin’s previous calculations
Ukraine is changing Trump’s approach to the war, while it is becoming increasingly difficult for the Kremlin to push Putin’s old strategy of pressuring Kyiv and extracting concessions from Russia. Read more on Channel 24