Russia boasts a Trump victory is dangerous information for Ukraine – as France warns Europe should ‘take cost of our personal future’
Russia has boasted that a victory of Donald Trump is bad news for Ukraine as France has warned Europe must ‘take charge of our own destiny’.
Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said today that a Donald Trump win in the U.S. election would probably be bad news for Ukraine, but said it was unclear how far Trump would be able to cut U.S. financing for the war.
Trump, a Republican, claimed victory in the 2024 presidential contest after Fox News projected that he had defeated Democrat Kamala Harris, which would cap a stunning political comeback four years after he left the White House.
‘Trump has one useful quality for us: as a businessman to the core, he mortally dislikes spending money on various hangers–on and stupid hanger-on allies, on bad charity projects and on voracious international organisations,’ Dmitry Medvedev, a senior security official, posted on his official Telegram account.
It comes as the French government said that Europe must be willing to ‘take charge of its own destiny’ as Trump appeared close to winning the US presidential election.
Republican presidential nominee and former U.S. President Donald Trump holds up a fist as he takes the stage with his wife Melania and son Barron, following early results from the 2024 U.S. presidential election in Palm Beach County Convention Center, in West Palm Beach, Florida, U.S., November 6, 2024
Former U.S President Donald Trump, right, responds to a question during an impromptu press conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, left, at Trump Tower, September 27, 2024
Former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev (left), now a senior Kremlin security official, pictured with Vladimir Putin (right)
‘We must not ask ourselves what the United States will do, but what Europe is capable of doing,’ Maud Bregeon told the RTL broadcaster.
‘In a number a key sectors – defence, industrial recovery, decarbonisation – we must take charge of our own destiny.’
French President Emmanuel Macron said on Wednesday that he had held talks with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on the phone, over working to defend Europe’s interests following a suspected Trump victory.
‘It was agreed to coordinate closely with each other on this issue,’ Scholz’s spokesman Steffen Hebestreit said.
Macron said he and Scholz will work on ‘a more united, stronger, more sovereign Europe’ after the US presidential election.
They would do this while ‘cooperating with the United States of America and defending our interests and values,’ he said on X.
Meanwhile, Medvedev said that the Ukrainian authorities fell into the category of people Trump was likely to not want to spend too much money on and suggested the Ukrainian leadership would be doing what it could to console itself if it was confirmed he had won.
‘The question is how much Trump will be forced to give to the war. He’s stubborn, but the system is stronger,’ said Medvedev.
But Sam Greene, Professor of Russian Politics at King’s College London, said Ukraine is ‘unlikely to be the most important thing on Trump’s agenda’.
‘He will quickly find himself embroiled in the push and pull of politics in Washington.
‘An abject American capitulation to Russia’s ambitions in Ukraine would, of course, be disastrous to American national security and its broader interests. Whether Trump actually cares about that is a different story.’
French President Emmanuel Macron (pictured) said on Wednesday that he had held talks with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on the phone, over working to defend Europe’s interests following a suspected Trump victory
Former US President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump points to his wife former US First Lady Melania Trump during an election night event at the West Palm Beach Convention Center in West Palm Beach, Florida, early on November 6, 2024
‘It was agreed to coordinate closely with each other on this issue,’ Olaf Scholz’s (pictured) spokesman Steffen Hebestreit said
US presidential election hopeful Kamala Harris (left) with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky (right)
He added: ‘But it is also unlikely to win him any political capital in DC, and in fact it is likely to cost him quite a bit, and that’s something he does care about, or at least something he has cared about in the past.’
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky congratulated Trump and highlighted the ‘strong bipartisan support’ in the US for his country in its fight against Russia.
There are concerns among Ukraine’s allies that US support for Ukraine could wane under a Trump presidency.
Mr Zelensky said: ‘I appreciate President Trump’s commitment to the ‘peace through strength’ approach in global affairs. This is exactly the principle that can practically bring just peace in Ukraine closer. I am hopeful that we will put it into action together.
‘We look forward to an era of a strong United States of America under President Trump’s decisive leadership.
‘We rely on continued strong bipartisan support for Ukraine in the United States. We are interested in developing mutually beneficial political and economic cooperation that will benefit both of our nations.
‘Ukraine, as one of Europe’s strongest military powers, is committed to ensuring long-term peace and security in Europe and the transatlantic community with the support of our allies.
‘I am looking forward to personally congratulating President Trump and discussing ways to strengthen Ukraine’s strategic partnership with the United States.’
