Trump distances himself from Putin: Completely crazy! - What now?

Trump distances himself from Putin: Completely crazy! - What now?

Ukraine, Land - Donald Trump recently commented on Vladimir Putin and described him as "completely crazy". Despite its sharp reviews of Putin's murders in Ukraine, the US government under his leadership has decided not to introduce new sanctions against Russia. This decision is considered worrying by many, especially in view of the geopolitical tensions.

An important step by the US government was the dissolution of the Task Force "Kleptocapture". This unit, which was launched by Joe Biden in 2022, had devoted itself to the persecution of Russian oligarchs and the confiscation of their illegally acquired assets. Under the leadership of Pam Bondi, the new US Justice Minister, the resources of the Task Force have now been redirected in order to concentrate on combating drug cartels and transnational criminal organizations. Despite the fact that in the past, numerous charges against oligarches such as Oleg Deripaska and Konstantin Malofejew have been raised.

strategy change under Pam Bondi

Bondi's decision to dissolve the Task Force was announced as part of a fundamental change in the US strategy to combat drug cartels. Instead of concentrating on financial crimes of oligarchical structures, the focus should be on drug trafficking and the associated criminal activities in the future. Political analysts warn that this gives an important instrument to combat money laundering and combating the wealth of the Russian elite.

The Ministry of Justice originally intended to enforce the sanctions that were levied in response to the Russian attack war against Ukraine with “Kleptocapture”. These sanctions have the potential to affect up to 60 percent of the Russian gross domestic product that is created in tax havens. However, the demolition of these efforts seems to be less willing to combat the financial systems that enable the Russian elite to obscure their wealth

effects on international politics

The dissolution of the task force is seen by observers as a sign of the lack of will of the US government to exert effective pressure on Russia. While Trump tries to differentiate himself from Putin, the effective implementation of sanctions and combating financial crimes remains inconsistent. Trump's foreign policy course is criticized as unsuccessful, since - despite the negatively rated relationship with Putin - he does not take substantial measures.

In addition, the EU shows difficulties to find a uniform and consistent course against Russia, while it continues to move into energy imports from the country. This increases the feeling that economic interests are often asked through political principles, which raises the question of whether international sanctions in the current form are effective. Studies suggest that less than ten percent of sanctions are fully implemented by sanctioned regimes.

Overall, the recent events illustrate how the political landscape changes in the context of the Ukraine War and what challenges arise from the misery of international relationships.

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