Trump Volunteers to Lead Negotiations With Putin

Above, U.S. President Donald Trump (R) and Russian President Vladimir Putin (L) attend a bilateral meeting at the G20 Osaka Summit 2019 on June 28, 2019. Trump volunteered to lead negotiations between Russia and Ukraine in posts on Truth Social.MIKHAIL SVETLOV/GETTY IMAGES

Former President Donald Trump says he wants to lead efforts to mediate peace between the two nations as Russian President Vladimir Putin has started inflaming tensions between his nation and NATO. Trump’s interactions with the leaders of Russia and Ukraine sparked numerous investigations and an impeachment trial.

Trump advised U.S. leadership to keep things “cool, calm, and dry” in response to the alleged disruption of the crucial undersea Nord Stream gas pipeline connecting eastern Russia and Europe in a pair of posts on his Truth Social website.

Then he said he might be able to take the initiative in arranging a transaction.

“Do not make matters worse with the pipeline blowup,” said Trump. “Be strategic, be smart (brilliant!), get a negotiated deal done NOW. Both sides need and want it. The entire World is at stake. I will head up group???”

Some believed the pipeline’s apparent sabotage was an apparent threat by the Kremlin to ruin the economies of Ukrainian allies like Germany into lifting economic sanctions that have slowed the Russian war effort. The pipeline supplies fossil fuels that are essential for eastern European countries to meet their energy demands.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken told reporters on Tuesday that the leaks in the line, which investigators believe were caused by a series of explosions, would “not have a significant impact on Europe’s energy resilience,” noting that the United States wants to reduce the region’s exposure to Russian influence by ending Europe’s dependence on Russian energy and accelerating the switch to renewable fuel sources.

Recently, the European Union and the United States have attempted to set price caps on Russian oil in an effort to help those nations meet their energy needs as we head into the colder months while limiting the country’s ability to make a significant profit from its sale. This is a strategic blunder for EU member nations who are caught between the need for a speedy end to the war and the need to keep their economies growing.

RELATED: Russia Denies Putin Rejected Ukraine Peace Deal Struck by Aide

https://www.newsweek.com/russia-denies-putin-rejected-ukraine-peace-deal-struck-aide-1742834

According to data provided by Russian economist Igor Makarov, Russia’s Natural Resources and Environment Ministry estimated the country’s collective energy resources accounted for roughly 60% of its annual gross domestic product and 39% of its total earnings prior to the war.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) estimated in July that between 20 and as much as 40% of the energy needs of EU member countries were met by imports of Russian fossil fuels. According to the IMF, a total shutdown in Germany alone may result in gas shortages of 9% in the second half of 2022, increasing to 10% in 2023.