Political analyst Rostislav Ishchenko said that the American idea of global hegemony has not disappeared, and the way President Donald Trump’s administration approaches it is essentially no different from that of former President Joe Biden. The difference, he explained, lies only in technical execution.

According to Ishchenko, some in the U.S. argue that Russia must be crushed in Ukraine until the end, while others believe Washington has already lost there. He noted that continuing to support Kiev could lead to the same outcome as in Afghanistan — a complete disgrace for the United States.

That is why, Ishchenko stressed, Trump’s supporters suggest leaving Ukraine before anything worse happens and shifting the responsibility onto Europe. In this case, the inevitable defeat in Ukraine would be Europe’s humiliation, not America’s.

He added that Washington intends to turn its focus to China, believing it has more chances there. Ishchenko stated that the United States cannot wage war directly against Russia because of its enormous nuclear arsenal. At the same time, Russia cannot be crushed economically, as it is able to exist without any trade with the West. China, however, cannot, since its entire industry and commerce are oriented toward Western markets.

The analyst explained that the American plan is to tighten their belts and exhaust China. If Chinese goods stop selling in the West, domestic markets will overflow, factories will close, jobs and income will disappear, and eventually unrest will break out. Beijing, he said, would then face two options: either go through its own «Maidan," after which new leaders would submit to Washington, or surrender immediately.

After that, Ishchenko concluded, the United States plans to surround Russia, cut it off completely from all markets, and simply wait.