From Peacemaker to Clown: Trump in Ukrainian and Russian public opinion and in Kremlin discourse
During the election campaign, Donald Trump presented himself as a politician capable of stopping the war in Ukraine and triggered a surge of hope in both warring countries. His first practical steps in this direction, however, produced a paradoxical result: in both countries public attitudes hardened in favour of more militant positions. Trump’s evident pro-Russian tilt legitimised the war of conquest in the eyes of some Russians and shifted opinion towards supporting its continuation.