Russian President Vladimir Putin is trying to make the war in Ukraine look better for Moscow than it really is, Elisabeth Braw, a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council, told TVP World. Braw said Putin appears to believe he can “finesse the situation” when speaking to, or sending messages aimed at, US President Donald Trump. She said the war had recently shifted in Ukraine’s favor, pointing to Russia’s scaled‑down Victory Day parade in Moscow as a sign that many Russian troops and weapons remain tied down in Ukraine. “What Vladimir Putin seems to think still works is to communicate that the war is going better than it actually is and hope that that convinces Donald Trump,” she said. Ukraine’s security path Braw said fast NATO membership for Ukraine would be difficult because the alliance does not admit countries that are at war. She said President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s proposal for a new European defense alliance could be more realistic, suggesting a format that could include Ukraine and European countries while working alongside NATO. Braw also said the Bucharest Nine summit, a meeting of NATO countries on the alliance’s eastern flank, was useful even if it did not produce major decisions. Kyiv corruption case Braw also spoke about the corruption investigation involving Andriy Yermak, Zelenskyy’s former chief of staff. She said the case was embarrassing for Kyiv but also showed that Ukraine’s institutions were working. “On one hand, it’s damaging. It’s massively embarrassing,” she said. But she added that the case could also be seen as a “sign of a mature democracy,” because even a senior presidential ally was not immune from investigation. Asked about Trump’s meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Braw used one word: “Leverage.” She said Trump may need China’s help on Iran, making it less likely that he will press Beijing hard over its ties with Moscow.
