Introduction Russian President Vladimir Putin gave an interview to Tucker Carlson -- a US television host -- on February 6, 2024 (the interview was aired on February

 Russian President Vladimir Putin gave an interview to Tucker Carlson -- a US television host -- on February 6, 2024 (the interview was aired on 

Tucker Carlson’s website and Elon Musk’s X handle

) .  This was his first interview, with a western 

, after the Russia-Ukraine conflict began in February 2022. Putin made several important points during his conversation with Tucker Carlson. Firstly, Putin said that the Russia-Ukraine conflict could end if the west stopped assisting Ukraine. Said the Russian 

"I will tell you what we are saying on this matter and what we are conveying to the US leadership. If you really want to stop fighting, you need to stop supplying weapons,"

During the interview, Putin also said that Russia had made several attempts in recent decades to ensure that  ties with the west remained stable,  but expansion of 

) had an adverse impact on ties between Moscow and the west and was one of the 

 reasons for the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

Former US President and likely Republican candidate -- for the 2024 US presidential election -- Donald Trump has reiterated on more than one occasion, that the Russia-Ukraine war would end soon if he won in 2024. Trump has made no secret of his rapport with both Putin. The former US President has dubbed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy as “

"  and expressed his opposition to aid for Ukraine. The US Senate passed a 

 aid package for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan in spite of Trump’s fervent opposition. Significantly, 

 Republican senators voted in favour of the bill.

Trump’s views on NATO: Europe’s worries

It is not just Ukraine, but several European nations are worried at the prospects of a Trump presidency since they would then face the burden of supporting Ukraine. While speaking at a rally, Donald Trump referred to an episode where he had told a (

, that he would not prevent any NATO member state, not fulfilling its financial obligations -- vis-a-vis NATO -- from attacks by Russia. Many believe, that if Trump were to get a second term in 2024, there is a strong chance of him the 

The other Republican Presidential candidate – who also served as US ambassador to the UN during Trump’s presidency -- Nikki Haley has been critical of Trump’s approach vis-à-vis Ukraine and his remarks on 

While Europeans may be worried at the prospects of a Trump Presidency, China would also be observing Putin’s relatively reconciliatory tone vis-à-vis the west. Many commentators and analysts believe that a better relationship between Russia and the west—especially Washington  -- could impact Russia’s ties with China.

When President Biden took over as President, commentators 

 that US should try and keep a manageable relationship with Russia. In the aftermath of the Russia-Ukraine war this was not possible. John Mearsheimer a top US International relations (IR) scholar belonging to the realist school has blamed 

 policies for the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

While US ties with Moscow have deteriorated in recent years, Washington’s relations with Beijing have 

 some improvement – in spite of fundamental differences on some key economic and strategic issues -- after the meeting between US President Joe Biden and Chinese President, Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the G20 Summit held at Bali in November 2022. US has also been working closely with China on the crisis in the Middle East. The Biden Administration has asked Beijing to use its 

 vis-à-vis Tehran to prevent escalation. After the attacks by Iran supported Houthi attacks in the Red Sea, Beijing is supposed to have spoken to 

, to prevent more attacks, but only to secure its own economic interests.

There is unlikely to be any significant change in ties between Russia and the US until the US presidential election in 2024. A Trump presidency could pave the way for ending the Russia-Ukraine conflict, though it is hazardous to make predictions about complex geopolitical issues.

Post the US Presidential election, if there is an improvement in ties between Washington and Moscow, it remains to be seen whether this will impact Moscow-Beijing ties. Several countries – including India --which so far have had to strike a fine balance between US and Russia and others whose economic ties have got impacted will also heave a sigh of relief if there is some thaw between Washington and Moscow.

Putin interview and the US-Russia-China triangle

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