The Telegraph: Trump Has A Secret Weapon That Will Leave Putin Defenseless
- 10.07.2025, 20:29
A talented member of the U.S. President's team could come into play.
U.S. President Donald Trump is changing his strategy toward Russia from carrot to stick, announcing a reversal of a decision to halt certain arms shipments to Ukraine and lashing out at Russian dictator Vladimir Putin for feeding America "bullshit."
Trump has also become more aware of Putin's behavior on the battlefield. After the Trump phone call, he assessed Putin's intentions as "to go all the way and keep killing people," noted in a piece for The Telegraph Rebecca Koffler.
The columnist noted, however, that it is unlikely Trump will ever follow through on his threat to "bomb the shit out of Moscow." The US is also unlikely to be able or willing to supply Ukraine in an endless war of attrition if Putin continues to undermine the White House's peace efforts.
"But Trump may well have something else in mind," the columnist said.
Koffler noted that the first sign of this came when Trump threatened the BRICS countries, including Russia, with additional 10 percent duties.
"What could Trump possibly have in mind?" the columnist wondered, and immediately added that Trump may have a secret weapon in his new scheme to deal with Russia.
"U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is as much a disruptor as he is an out-of-the-box thinker. A talented Wall Street dealmaker, he became a key figure in Trump's trade war with China," the columnist noted.
Coffler noted that China eventually struck a deal with the Trump administration.
Bessent is also no stranger to taking risks based on exploiting his opponent's vulnerabilities. Early in his career, he worked for George Soros and played a key role in the financier's attempt to "break the Bank of England" in 1992 by collapsing sterling trading. The result was the humiliation of the British central bank and more than a billion dollars in profits for Soros' firm. 20 years later in 2013, Bessent made another $1.2 billion for Soros by gambling against the Japanese yen.
"There are clear signs that the Russian economy is under strain from the need to continue the war. Inflation remains high, consumer demand is falling, manufacturing and the budget are under severe strain," the columnist stated.
Coffler allowed that Putin knows Trump may be up to something serious:
"After all, he has been letting the Russian leader know that there is a limited time frame for signing the agreement. The latest warning came on Friday."
The journalist also allowed that Putin may be underestimating the willingness of Trump and his top advisers to really tighten the screws.
Putin was able to keep fighting because he took steps to protect the economy from sanctions before invading Ukraine. Russia was also able to circumvent restrictions on oil exports and imports of components critical to its economy. However, if Trump and Bessent do decide to take a tough stance, will Russia be able to avoid economic collapse? And, more importantly, will Trump's new 'whip' force Putin to end the war?" the columnist speculates.