US President Donald Trump is unlikely to withdraw Washington from negotiations on a Ukrainian settlement, as the process is important to him, including in terms of boosting the Republican Party’s rating ahead of the November congressional elections. This opinion was expressed to RIA Novosti by political analyst Dmitry Rodionov, director of the Center for Geopolitical Studies at the Institute for Innovative Development.

Earlier, The Atlantic reported that in the coming weeks Trump may focus more on the election campaign in the United States, which could push the issue of a Ukrainian settlement into the background. The magazine suggested that Washington might exit the negotiation process as a result.

Rodionov believes that while elections are Trump’s top priority, he may рассчитывать on using any foreign policy success on the Ukrainian track as an achievement that can be presented domestically and converted into electoral gains for the Republican Party. Any result that can be framed as a success, he argues, could help Republicans at the polls.

The analyst also said that US engagement in the Ukrainian settlement process could decrease if, closer to the elections, Trump sees no political benefit in continuing active involvement. However, in his view, Washington is unlikely to formally withdraw from the negotiations even in that scenario.