![]() ![]() ![]() He has claimed that as president he could have the war settled in 24 hours, and just this week he said that support for Ukraine should be conditioned on congressional investigations into Biden and his family. Trump, the far-and-away front-runner for the GOP nomination at this point, has not committed to backing Ukraine in the war. They also say that Putin’s eye on the election makes it even more important for the US to maintain long-term support to Ukraine, a commitment that the Biden administration continues to reiterate. ![]() Officials who spoke to CNN on condition of anonymity to discuss private internal considerations believe that Putin could be eyeing a win by Trump, or another Republican candidate, as a trigger for the US to pull back support for Ukraine. ![]() “So even though we haven’t seen anything explicitly to that effect, you have to assume, I believe, that everyone is thinking it.”Ī European diplomat told CNN that they believe trying to ride out the war in Ukraine until the US election “is exactly Putin’s plan.” And so do the Ukrainians and our European partners,” the source said. Another source familiar with the intelligence said “it’s sort of the elephant in the room” for the US, Ukraine and Europe. One US official said they have “no doubt” that Putin is “trying to hold out” until the 2024 election. A CNN poll conducted by SSRS that was released on Friday found most Americans oppose Congress providing additional funding to support Ukraine, as the public splits over whether the US has or has not already done enough in the conflict. But next year’s election remains a key factor that top Western national security, intelligence and diplomatic officials believe will influence Putin’s decisions in Ukraine, making it even less likely the war is resolved before the end of next year. The US does not yet have explicit intelligence about Putin’s mindset, or whether he is purposefully dragging out the war in hopes of a Donald Trump or Republican presidential victory. Top US and European officials are concerned that Russian President Vladimir Putin is factoring the 2024 US presidential election into his Ukraine war planning in hopes that a loss by President Joe Biden next year will lead the US to curtail its support for Ukraine and improve Russia’s negotiating position, four US officials told CNN. ![]()
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