GOOD MORNING FROM LONDON
A one-off short comment.
People are confused by Trump’s apparently soft approach to Russia.
The answer is this; The US main challenge is from China. China is about to become the largest economy in the world. Sure it has problems with big indebtedness in its property sector but DeepSeek was China’s Sputnik Moment. China is on the move big time.
Trump knows this. His experts know this. They have told him that the China Surge is underway. China is increasing its trade relations with every part of the globe and looking ahead it will grow and not diminish. Trump knows a confrontation with China is on the cards.
Europe is not a challenge for Trump. Europe is not his priority but pulling Putin away from China is his priority. He wants to torpedo the China-Russia relationship. He is going out of his way to weaken China by trying to detach Russia from its close relations with China. He knows he is going to have to deal with China and when the time arrives for that confrontation Trump is hoping he will have neutralised the Russia part of the China-Russia embrace. Hence his refusal to intervene against Putin in Ukraine. He needs Putin as a friend and not as an enemy. My guess is that he will not succeed but he will try very hard.
Trump does not like Putin. He does not like Russia. He does not like China either, but for Trump his biggest nightmare is to go head-to-head with China when China is firmly supported by Russia. His focus is to entice Russia into the arms of the US and away from China. Trump needs Russia more than he needs Europe. China is his #1 focus.
GRAHAM PERRY
