Expert: Trump's Decisions on Russia Have Nothing to Do With the Midterms
U.S. politics expert Andreas Kaju says he cannot explain why President Donald Trump is taking steps that harm Ukraine, and stresses they are unrelated to the U.S. congressional midterm elections. Estonian MEP Riho Terras says Trump has sided with Russia.
In comments to Estonian public broadcaster ERR, U.S. politics expert Andreas Kaju admitted he could not explain why U.S. President Donald Trump is making decisions that harm Ukraine and favor Russia. In his view, the moves have nothing to do with the upcoming U.S. congressional midterm elections.
The latest surprises are limits placed on Ukraine's satellite capabilities, which it uses to strike Russia and defend itself, and a decision to drop planned sanctions against Russia.
A politician's assessment
Riho Terras, a member of the European Parliament from Estonia's Isamaa party, said Trump has taken Russia's side in the war and is acting against Ukraine's interests. He called the development very bad.
Why the midterms do not explain it
Kaju said that if Trump wanted to win elections, he would have acted very differently long ago. Over the past year, he noted, the president has consistently endorsed highly unpopular Republican candidates in various states. As a result, Republicans could lose states in the midterms that were previously unthinkable to lose.
He also pointed to an article in the U.S. conservative publication National Review, which argued that Republicans and Democrats should jointly launch a major congressional investigation into the reasons behind Trump's Russia policy. Kaju suggested such investigations could indeed begin in Congress, including the Senate, after the midterms.
Russian diesel
Tarmo Kärsna, head of energy sales at Estonian fuel retailer Alexela, does not believe Russian diesel would help Trump reach his goals of lowering fuel prices and saving American farmers. By his estimate, Russian diesel brought to the U.S. market would amount to less than a day's consumption. Markets are also skeptical about whether Russia can raise its diesel exports at all, as they have fallen sevenfold since the start of the year.
