Russia deleted Trump’s claim for Paper Tiger fighting aimless war

There were many on the paper in Donald Trump’s comments to get away the Kremlin.

For starters, his description of Russia as a “paper tiger” that “fights aimlessly” in Ukraine.

Moscow will not like it.

I remember when President Barack Obama described Russia as “regional authorities”, unlike the global: this was taken as a great insult here.

President Trump’s proposal that Ukraine can win the whole territory that Russia has seized will raise eyebrows in Moscow as well.

And the Russian eyebrows will break even higher after Trump’s answer to the reporter’s question.

“Do you think NATO countries should take down Russian planes if they enter their airspace?” the reporter asked.

“Yes, I do it,” Trump replied.

Still, the Kremlin’s initial response to all this was quite restrained.

Vladimir Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov gently rejected the insult of the Paper Tiger.

“Russia is by no means a tiger,” Peskov to a Russian radio station. “He is more connected to a bear. And there is no such thing as a paper bear.”

How about the assumption that Kyiv can return the lost territory?

“The claim that Ukraine can win something by fighting is wrong,” the spokesman told reporters later.

During the Kremlin conference, I ask Dmitry Peskov about his reaction to Trump’s comments.

“Russia as a whole and President Putin in particular in the value of President Trump’s political will to continue working for a peaceful settlement,” Peskov replies.

Very diplomatic.

Then we’ve seen this again before.

So often, when Trump publishes or voices an unexpected criticism of Russia and/or Putin, the Kremlin takes a deep breath and responds with something a little more relaxed, more restrained than we could expect.

But why?

Today’s edition of the EXCITION newspaper implies the first reason.

“It is important to remember that Trump is influenced by the last person he has talked to,” writes Zestia. “In this case, it was Zelenski.”

In other words, Moscow believes that Donald Trump’s views on Ukraine are not stamped and that he can be convinced to approach Russia’s opinion.

“We will have the opportunity to convey our position to the US side,” Peskov tells me. “Our foreign minister Sergei Lavrov can do so. He meets his colleague (US Secretary of State Marco Rubio) in New York on the sidelines of the General Nations General Assembly.”

There may be another reason why Russia does not need to shout back.

President Trump’s comments, as critical as Russia, did not contain a threat of additional sanctions; There is no ultimatum for Moscow; No deadline for peace or the consequences.

The Kremlin will note that.

What’s more, when asked by a reporter if he still trusts Vladimir Putin, Trump replied:

“I’ll let you know in about a month.”

A month is a long time in war and politics. I doubt the Kremlin will tremble in his obstruction because of such an answer.

But what about the threat to the overthrow of Russian planes?

The Kremlin’s answer: Refusal.

“We hear the hysteria about our military pilots, which are said to have violated the rules and someone’s airspace,” Peskov tells me. “But all these claims are groundless and without evidence.”

Trump also draws a picture of a Russian economy in serious problems.

The Kremlin denied that too.

But what is the state of the Russian economy?

It does not collapse. But this is creaking. Perhaps this is not surprising after more than three years of international sanctions and massive government spending on war.

Russia’s budget deficit is increasing, revenue from falling oil and gas. Many branches of the industry are fighting.

The recent number of Ukrainian drone attacks against Russian oil refineries has affected the domestic supply of fuel. Even in what is a highly controlled media landscape, Russian newspapers report a shortage of gasoline in some parts of the country.

“Russia is on the verge of a full -scale fuel crisis,” the tabloid Moscow Komsomoletti announced last month.

However, there is no sign that economic pressure affects the Kremlin’s calculations on the battlefield.

For now, Vladimir Putin seems to have been determined to continue the war in Ukraine.

No matter what Donald Trump can say about it.