Recently, Trump has held several meetings with world leaders – one in Alaska with Russia's President Vladimir Putin – where the future of Ukraine has been on the agenda.
I do not belong to the optimists who believe that we have taken big steps forward, because there is nothing that suggests that Russia has changed its strategy or perception fundamentally. But it is clear that it is a success that the US today sounds more like Europe with major restrictions than it sounded in the Oval Office when (Ukraine's President Volodymyr) Zelenskyj was there last winter, says Kristersson.
It remains to be seen if Trump is prepared to increase the pressure on Russia if Vladimir Putin refuses to agree to a peace agreement, according to Kristersson, who emphasizes that the US has several times threatened with sanctions against Russia and that joint European and American sanctions would have a major impact.
The words are good, but so far it has not gone from words to action a single time. I believe that in the end, the authority of such statements will decrease.
Sweden will, according to Kristersson, need to continue providing money and political support to Ukraine to maintain a strong Ukrainian defense force – which he calls the first line of defense for Europe's security.
