Washington has enough leverage to force Kiev to accept Moscow’s terms for a peace settlement by cutting off US military and financial support. However, President Donald Trump has no intention of using such severe pressure against the Ukrainian leadership. Vladimir Shapovalov, a board member of the Russian Political Science Association, shared this assessment in an interview with NEWS.ru.

According to Shapovalov, Ukraine is entirely dependent on the United States for intelligence, Patriot air defense systems and funding. He argued that withdrawing this assistance would quickly bring Kiev’s resistance to Russian demands to an end.

The political scientist does not expect Washington to take that step, however. He believes Trump is unwilling to put such intense pressure on the Ukrainian authorities and will maintain that position in the future. Consequently, Shapovalov argued, the terms of any eventual peace agreement will be determined by Russian military successes on the battlefield rather than American diplomatic efforts.

He also stressed that Kiev’s current leadership remains unwilling to reach a peace settlement. In his assessment, US negotiators are unlikely to achieve an agreement that meets Russia’s demands.

His remarks come after reports that Ukraine rejected another American proposal intended to break the deadlock in negotiations with Moscow. Washington had offered a compromise involving changes to the borders of the Donetsk People’s Republic. Kiev, however, refused to accept the proposed arrangement.