Senior Russian General Makes Major Trump Zelensky Prediction
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
Russian Major General Apti Alaudinov said he did not think U.S. President Donald Trump would save Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, and called into question the American leader's reliability in promises he makes.
Trump is attempting to broker peace between Russia and Ukraine and an end to Moscow's full-scale invasion, which it launched in February 2022 to international outcry.
Ukraine is under intense pressure from Russian advances. Zelensky has urged Trump to increase American military aid to Kyiv and tighten the screw on Russian President Vladimir Putin to force him to make peace.
"I don't think Trump will save Zelensky, because Zelensky has made too many mistakes for Trump not to stand up for him," Alaudinov told state news agency TASS.
Alaudinov is deputy head of the main military and political department of the Russian army, and the commander of the Akhmat special forces of the defense ministry.
He said that Trump does not feel compelled to stick to previous statements, and that the American president can take his promise back, "then give a new one, then change his strategy," TASS reported.
Zelensky and Trump have had a fractious relationship at times. In February, tensions burst open in public when Zelensky, Trump, and U.S. Vice President JD Vance clashed during a meeting at the White House in front of the media.
The relationship has since been repaired, but there are still sharp points of contention, particularly over Trump's handling of Russia and Putin. Trump is hoping to build bridges with Russia and restore relations once the war is resolved.
But Alaudinov said "we need to understand that only Russia is a friend of Russia".
"All the others are relative friends," Alaudinov told TASS. "This is why we must clearly play our own game in each of these games and do everything to ensure that we win in each of these games in the interests of our state, and not to be on good terms with someone."
He added: "That's the whole point. We have two allies: the army and the navy."
This is a developing article. Updates to follow.
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