Asked whether the US might abandon its role as a mediator, or whether Trump would continue his efforts for the sake of the Nobel Peace Prize, the expert explained that Trump can fight, but geopolitical reality must be taken into account - the US and Trump are not omnipotent, and only Ukraine and Russia can agree on peace.

According to Hirsch, Russia does not want peace in Ukraine, believing that time is on its side and human losses are not an obstacle, because in the long run Ukraine will be forced to make concessions, and the West will be divided. He added that the priority of dictators is power - despite the problems in the economy and public discontent, there is no guarantee that sanctions will force Russia to change the course of foreign policy.

He emphasized that Putin, while in power, can introduce a completely totalitarian and brutal regime, because he and those close to him live well, even if the country is doing badly. The expert pointed out that in Russia the interests of the population are not important, its leadership is essential for the political and economic enrichment of the elite. He concluded that this can be done even if Russia has complete control of information and the population has no say, because a country that does not want to succumb to Western pressure can still achieve a lot.

LETA already reported that the US president announced on Wednesday that he had canceled a planned meeting with Putin. In his opinion, such a meeting would not be right, and Trump did not feel that"we will get where we need to get."

Trump announced on October 16 that he would meet with Putin in Budapest soon. The possible date for the meeting was mentioned as two weeks.