Trump: Putin wants more than Ukraine

At the NATO Summit on June 25, the President of the United States, Donald Trump, suggested that Russia may have territorial ambitions beyond Ukraine. When asked by the journalist whether he thought it was possible that Vladimir Putin might seek to seize other territories, Trump replied: "It's possible".

It was reported in an article by analysts at the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).

The Kremlin is already preparing the ground for the new war against some countries of the European Union 

His position is in line with previous assessments by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), which notes that Moscow is already preparing conditions for a new aggression, in particular against non-NATO states located in the post-Soviet space.

In addition, ISW analysts have long pointed to Russia's preparations for a future clash with NATO after the war in Ukraine. According to the analysts, the Kremlin is consistently implementing military reforms, integrating veterans into government at various levels, and launching an information campaign to justify new attacks. Importantly, in its rhetoric, Moscow is increasingly using the same arguments it used before invading Ukraine in 2022.

The key elements of this rhetoric are the protection of so-called "compatriots abroad", in particular, the Russian-speaking population in other countries, and the promotion of the idea of the "Russian world". This concept encompasses the territories of Kievan Rus, the Moscow Tsardom, the Russian Empire, the USSR, and the present-day Russian Federation, and is used to justify claims to lands that were once part of the Kremlin's sphere of influence.

The ISW notes that these narratives are actively used by Russia to justify a possible invasion of Moldova or the Baltic states. According to the Institute, the Kremlin is not giving up its ambitions and will continue to destabilise the region unless it fails in its strategic plans.

As a reminder, during the meeting with the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, Trump was presented with battlefield maps and evidence that Russia, during the recent body exchange, handed over its own soldiers while claiming they were Ukrainian defenders.