In an interview with the Russian news agency “Novosti,” Flynn explained: “I don’t think Donald Trump wants to be seen as a president who failed in diplomacy or politics, I simply don’t see that,” citing the military philosopher Carl von Clausewitz: “War is a continuation of politics by other means,” adding that resorting to war is evidence of the failure of diplomacy.
Flynn’s statements come at a time when indications of strained US-Russian relations are increasing due to the Ukrainian issue, after the Financial Times revealed that the United States canceled a summit that was scheduled between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, due to what it described as “tough demands” from Moscow regarding Ukraine.
Although Trump described his phone call with Putin on October 16 as “very productive,” diplomatic sources confirmed that the Russian president upset his American counterpart when he spoke of “Russian military successes” near the city of Kupyansk in eastern Ukraine and along the Oskil River.
The two leaders had met on August 15 in Alaska, where they discussed ways to settle the Ukrainian conflict, and described the meeting as “positive,” while Putin later confirmed that a settlement is possible “if the root causes of the crisis are addressed,” in reference to Moscow’s concerns about NATO’s eastward expansion.
Observers believe that the Trump administration seeks to avoid any diplomatic failure that could be politically exploited against him as the US presidential elections approach, at a time when negotiations on Ukraine remain suspended between conflicting demands and complex strategic calculations.
