Is Trump positioning for a ‘no-deal’ with Russia — or not?
by Larry C Johnson [1-25-2025 posted].
(In addition to reading this article, be sure to listen to the two important videos at the end. You might want to start with the second video that is much shorter and it sets the stage about the relationship between China & Russia and how interactions from the United States have affected it over the years. Many Americans are shocked to learn how advanced China has become and how far behind we have become in many areas. Russia & China have genuine mutual respect for each other & have learned how to cooperate, whereas the US hasn't learned those lessons yet.
You really owe it to yourself to listen to the entire first video that will give you a much better understanding of what is happening in Ukraine, Russia, Iran, Europe, and the Middle East. Trump has been seriously lied to by our Intelligence services, primarily by the CIA. Therefore, he feels that Russia is hurting economically & militarily because of its conflict in Ukraine. He then falsely thinks he can make a 'deal' with Russia because it is hurting. This is definitely not the case. The Russian economy is strong, despite having to support the war in Ukraine. The Russians are advancing every day in Ukraine, whereas the Ukrainians are retreating and losing large numbers of manpower & equipment every day & there is no way that they can win.
In the video, Larry & Alastair discuss many of the serious problems in Europe & the Middle East, including Britain, Germany, France, Israel, Syria, Iran, and related issues. — RAD)
I am stealing the title of Alastair Crooke’s recent post on Trump and Russia because that was the starting point of my interview with him this week. It is now up on Counter Currents and is embedded in this piece.
Here is his opening:
Trump’s rhetoric about Russia having lost 1 million men in the Ukraine conflict is not just nonsense — the real number not even reaching 100,000 — but his resort to it underlines that the usual meme of Trump being just woefully misinformed is looking less and less plausible.
After touting the 1 million Russian deaths, Trump then suggests that Putin is destroying Russia by not making a deal. Adding (seemingly as an aside), that Putin may have already made up his mind ‘not to make a deal’.
Instead, in a curiously disinterested way, Trump remarks that negotiations would depend entirely on whether Putin is interested or not. He further claims that Russia’s economy is in ruins, and most notably says that he would consider sanctioning or tariffing Russia, if Putin does not make a deal. In a subsequent Truth Social post, Trump writes, “I’m going to do Russia, whose Economy is failing, and President Putin, a very big FAVOR”.
I stand by my conclusion that a major source of Trump’s false claims about massive Russian casualties and a woeful economy is the intelligence community–specifically, the CIA and the Director of National Intelligence (DNI). The bulk of the intelligence presented to President Trump in the Presidential Daily Brief comes from the CIA. However, the DNI has the responsibility for preparing and delivering that brief. Trump did not come up with this inaccurate information on his own. We have now former CIA Director, Bill Burns, on the record with the Washington Post’s David Ignatius making the following claim:
Armed with false information that Russia is suffering terribly, it is no surprise that Trump believes that Russia would want a deal. I am working some channels to warn Trump that he is being lied to. Whether he heeds my warning is another thing. This would not be the first time I warned Trump about nefarious intelligence activities. Donald Trump tweeted this on April 24, 2019:
‘Former CIA analyst Larry Johnson accuses United Kingdom Intelligence of helping Obama Administration Spy on the 2016 Trump Presidential Campaign.’ @OANN WOW! It is now just a question of time before the truth comes out and when it does it will be a beauty! - April 24, 2019 11:04:17
I was right then and I am on target now.
The Russian Foreign Ministry is very clear on what it wants in any negotiation with Donald Trump:
Russia is against freezing the Ukrainian conflict, it will be used by the West to arm Kiev and try to take revenge.
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- ️If the US under Trump takes into account Russia’s interests, the dialogue between Moscow and Washington will gradually be restored, if not, “everything will remain as is,” Lavrov said.
- Trump’s return to the White House seriously changes the political landscape, but one should not expect any radical shifts;
- Russia has no illusions about the Trump administration and will not be “fooled” by the new president, who has surpassed his predecessors in terms of sanctions;
- Russia considers Trump’s desire to establish direct communication with Moscow “commendable”;
- NATO’s hypocritical and provocative policies lead to an increase in the degree of escalation and increase the risk of a direct clash between Russia and the alliance;
- Russia does not consider Italy as a possible participant in the peace process in Ukraine; if Rome wants to contribute, it should stop arming Kiev.
We had Minsk to resolve issues which Ukraine refused to adhere to, and which Germany/France were a party to but who didn’t coerce Ukraine into following their obligations. What did Ukraine, US, Canada, UK, and EU instead do? They trained and armed Ukraine.
Yet in Western media we hear the view that it is Russia who would use this time to retool and start the war again, but if that is the case then why are they trying to persuade Russia to stop moving forward and come to the table. A military moving forward is not the one who needs to rebuild it’s military.
Whether intended or not, Trump’s opening gambit with Moscow and Putin is a dead end. Putin will talk with Trump, but he will not succumb to threats or bullying. Trump better bring flowers and box of candy. Putin ain’t interested in a one-night-stand.
Here’s my chat with brother Crooke:
Trump Goes on the Offensive against Russia, China, and Iran | Alastair Crooke Interview [1-25-2025 1:08:54]
Here is an added bonus–my conversation with Wu Wenqing. We met at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum. She was curious what I thought about the current state of US relations with China:
US: I Just Bully China, Why Does China Hit Back? [1-22-2025 | 9:54]