Feb 18, 2025
Filip J. Scherf provided commentary to Denník N on Trump’s motivations to rapidly negotiate with Russia, potentially sidelining Ukraine and the EU, and how this could reshape Europe’s geopolitical future.
According to Filip J. Scherf, Trump’s eagerness to secure a rapid deal with Vladimir Putin – excluding both Ukraine and the European Union – reflects a troubling return to an outdated style of “great-power politics.” Scherf warns that Trump’s approach could ultimately weaken America’s global standing and once again subject smaller nations like Slovakia and the Czech Republic to decisions made exclusively by major powers.
He argues that the United States and Russia now seem poised to make significant geopolitical decisions independently, sidelining the EU and Ukraine entirely. Such a scenario aligns with Putin’s broader ambitions. As Scherf notes, “Putin’s overarching objective is to dismantle NATO, as the dissolution of the Alliance would symbolically end the Cold War from Russia’s perspective.”
In the interview, Scherf also analyses how Russia has quickly adopted Trump’s rhetoric, particularly his appeals to “common sense,” to justify its geopolitical ambitions. The Kremlin aims to position itself as an equal negotiating partner with the U.S., effectively reshaping the global order into a multipolar structure reminiscent of 19th-century power politics. Such developments would leave smaller countries, including Slovakia and the Czech Republic, vulnerable and dependent on decisions made by global powers.
Scherf further explains the possible outcomes of these negotiations, ranging from Russia achieving its maximalist objectives – territorial gains, Ukraine’s neutrality, removal of Zelensky’s government, and lifting sanctions to scenarios where no deal is reached and the conflict continues, deepening the geopolitical crisis.
Read the full interview here: https://denikn.cz/1655361/expert-na-rusko-trump-rozehral-s-putinem-sachy-v-nichz-se-hraje-o-zniceni-nato-a-navrat-do-19-stoleti/