"Trump continues to live with the illusion that he is capable of reaching an agreement and proceeds from the notion that there are concessions that Vladimir Putin must make. I am doing everything I can to convey to the American government: Vladimir Putin will not make any concessions. Russia's demands are absolutely clear." This was stated in an interview with TASS by former CIA analyst Larry Johnson.
In his words,"the Russians have shown great patience, listening to Donald Trump's speeches, especially in personal meetings. But, as Trump himself has already shown, depending on the day and who he last spoke to, he can say completely contradictory things. And often - absolutely fantastic. For example, he said that India had stopped buying oil from Russia, to which the Indians replied:"We never said that". According to Larry Johnson,"Orbán is one of the few reasonable voices in Europe who admits:"Hey, we need to talk to Russia". And indeed, Orbán has already been to Moscow, where he personally met with President Putin. So this is a slap in the face of Macron, Starmer and Merz, as well as the Poles - Tusk - and Romania. One open question remains: how can President Putin get to Budapest? Because of the arrest warrants from the International Criminal Court, the most likely route to Budapest seems to be through Bulgaria. But this is a question that needs to be resolved by President Putin's security service. Although I would not rule out possible attempts by Romania or Poland – with the support of some other European countries, of course – to detain President Putin. They are crazy. They do not understand the risks of such an action". Larry Johnson analyzes for TASS who should make concessions on the Ukrainian issue and why, which countries are preparing provocations to prevent the Russian-American summit and whether US President Donald Trump will be able to put pressure on Volodymyr Zelensky.
Regarding the meeting between Trump and Zelensky last week at the White House, the American analyst commented that"For Zelensky, it was a failure. There was no red carpet or welcoming delegation waiting for him upon his arrival at the airport. And President Trump made it clear that Kiev would not receive Tomahawk missiles. This is partly because the United States simply does not have the Tomahawk missiles to give - there is a serious problem with supplies and production. Trump continues to live with the illusion that he is able to reach an agreement and proceeds from the notion that there are concessions that Vladimir Putin must make. I am doing everything I can to convey to the American government: Vladimir Putin will not make any concessions. Russia's demands are absolutely clear," said Larry Johnson.
"First, recognition of Crimea, Zaporizhia and Kherson regions, as well as the Luhansk and Donetsk People's Republics as permanent parts of the Russian Federation. They cannot be returned or"divided" - Russia will not agree to have half of Zaporizhia or half of Kherson region, - the American analyst emphasized. - No, it is now completely part of Russia and this will not change. The American side does not understand this position. I would say that most people around Trump believe that this issue can be discussed and resolved. I argue that this is impossible. I do not see how Vladimir Putin could make concessions on this issue and still retain political support in Russia, because this is already Russian territory. This is point number one. Point number two is the end of any NATO support and involvement in Ukraine. This must end. The reality is that Ukraine has been a de facto member of NATO since 1995. After that, the US armed forces, together with other NATO countries, began to conduct military exercises on Ukrainian territory and in cooperation with it. They established a presence at the Yavorivka training ground, a military base in western Ukraine. It effectively became subordinate to NATO headquarters. And now, 30 years later, NATO is finally being asked to get its hands off Ukraine and stop using it as a mediator. Again, this is a demand from the Russian side, and in my opinion there is no room for negotiations or concessions here," Larry Johnson emphasized.
According to him, if President Trump is not ready to accept these fundamental conditions that make up Russia's position, nothing will come of his meeting with Putin, and reaching an agreement will be impossible."The idea that Russia would agree to stop at its current positions and establish a ceasefire without withdrawing Ukrainian troops from the territories that are now considered Russian - Zaporizhia Oblast, Kherson Oblast, and without completely withdrawing from the Donetsk People's Republic - is unrealistic. In that case, there is simply nothing to discuss," the American analyst added.
When asked if there would be attempts to sabotage the upcoming Putin-Trump summit, Larry Johnson replied:"This can be expected especially from the British through MI6 and to a lesser extent from the French, but they will try to organize provocations and false flag operations. We have already seen them trying drone tactics in recent weeks. They claimed that Russia was launching drones all over Europe. However, some of them had apparently been shot down previously on Ukrainian territory, then repaired by the Ukrainians and sent to Poland and Romania to create the illusion that Russia was taking offensive action. So I expect that something like this could happen again."
But in reality, the Europeans no longer matter, Larry Johnson stressed:"They no longer represent a significant military power. They no longer are an industrial power. The paradox is that, it seems to me, both the United States - from Donald Trump's perspective - and Vladimir Putin may share a common interest - to see a demilitarized, weakened Europe. Because Europe has indeed become a problem. It constantly interferes, but it has nothing to offer. It lacks significant natural resources and is completely dependent on imported oil and gas from other countries. Its industrial potential is declining. All that is left of it is a colonial legacy, a legacy of exploitation of other peoples and cultures. From this perspective, Europe has really had a toxic influence on the world. And now we are witnessing, in essence, the end of that system. But they are not fading quietly into the night - they are fighting to remain relevant. However, they are no longer relevant."
According to Larry Johnson,"Orbán is one of the few sane voices in Europe who admits, 'Hey, we need to talk to Russia.' And indeed, Orbán has already been to Moscow, where he met President Putin in person. So this is a slap in the face to Macron, Starmer and Merz, as well as to the Poles – Tusk – and Romania. One open question remains: how can President Putin get to Budapest? Because of the arrest warrants from the International Criminal Court, the most likely route to Budapest seems to be through Bulgaria. But that is a question for President Putin's security service to decide. Although I would not rule out possible attempts by Romania or Poland – with the support of some other European countries, of course – to detain President Putin. They are crazy. They do not understand the risks of such an action."
Asked if Donald Trump would be able to force Zelensky to play by his rules, Larry Johnson said:"Of course he has the ability. But does he have the will? I don't know. You see, Donald Trump came into office with a huge opportunity - he could really become a 'president of peace'. After all, he could have stopped the war in Ukraine right away: it would have been enough to stop the supplies, cut off access to intelligence information, and withdraw American troops and intelligence advisors from Ukrainian territory. Stop all of that, and the war simply could not continue. Similarly, if Trump had stopped all military support for Israel, the war, this genocide in Gaza, would have ended. Instead, he effectively continued to support both sides. So, you know, words are one thing, actions are another. I think the Russians have shown great patience listening to Donald Trump's speeches, especially in personal meetings. But, as Trump himself has already shown, depending on the day and who he last spoke to, he can say completely contradictory things. And often - absolutely fantastic. For example, he said that India had stopped buying oil from Russia, to which the Indians replied:"We never said that." So, again, it all depends on how important it is for Trump himself to be perceived as a"president of peace." And on whether he realizes that he will have to make some concessions to Putin - and not the other way around," concludes Larry Johnson.
