Putin ‘uniquely positioned’ to exploit a Trump US election win

Vladimir Putin is ‘uniquely positioned’ to exploit a Donald Trump triumph successful the US statesmanlike race, according to the main contributor to the infamous Russia dossier.  

Igor Danchenko said that the papers and different investigations making claims astir Trump’s narration with the Kremlin stay applicable arsenic Americans go to the polls. 

He besides told Metro however helium has flooded ‘depression and wide disillusionment’ aft being acquitted connected each charges of lying to the FBI astatine his proceedings 2 years ago. 

Mr Danchenko, a Russian emigre present surviving successful Arlington, Virginia, spoke arsenic Trump and Kamala Harris spell to the ligament successful the intimately contested contention for the spot successful the White House. 

Assessing the nominees, the Russia-Eurasia analyst told Metro that ‘unprincipled’ Trump whitethorn spot Ukraine, which is heavy babelike connected US arms, arsenic not worthy saving.  

‘Trump appears consenting to usage Ukraine arsenic a bargaining spot successful relations with Russia, but helium whitethorn besides beryllium acceptable to springiness up Ukraine altogether, judging by his societal media posts and rhetoric during the campaign,’ helium said.

‘Trump has nary principles, helium is unpredictable and unstable. He often puts his interests and PR supra the interests of the state and its citizens.

‘Harris, connected the opposite, is much soft-handed, careful, accordant and sees a bigger representation with American nationalist and nationalist involvement astatine its centre.’ 

Mr Danchenko, 46, was thrust into the spotlight aft it emerged that helium had been the superior subsource for the alleged Steele dossier, which made a bid of unverified claims, including that Russia has ‘kompromat’ of a intersexual quality connected Trump.  

The postulation of memos, compiled by the former British spy Christopher Steele, was published by Buzzfeed 10 days earlier Trump took bureau successful January 2017.  

Mr Danchenko then became a confidential FBI informant earlier his individuality was made nationalist without his consent successful a concatenation of events which led to him being enactment connected proceedings for making mendacious statements to the agency.  

It emerged that Steele’s backstage probe firm, Orbis, had been subcontracted by Washington DC-based probe institution Fusion GPS, which successful crook was paid by Hilary Clinton’s run and the Democratic National Committee to look into Trump.  

Mr Danchenko has stood by the immense bulk of the worldly successful the dossier with the caveats that helium had nary thought the accusation helium gathered would beryllium compiled into 1 document and released into the nationalist realm without immoderate nuance.

Mr Trump’s lawyer wide appointed peculiar counsel John Durham successful 2019 to analyse the FBI’s probe into the purported links betwixt Russia and Trump’s presidential run 4 years earlier. 

The past president and his supporters claimed that Mr Durham’s prosecutions of Mr Danchenko and others would unmask a ‘witch hunt’ against the concern tycoon.

The quality gatherer has had to look up to being enactment connected proceedings by the state helium was moving for and being branded a traitor successful Russia aft being outed arsenic Steele’s main source 

‘Acquittal was expected to beryllium a victory, but it was not — everyone abandoned me, truthful I had to flooded slump and wide disillusionment successful the system’, Mr Danchenko said, adding: ‘I chose not to politicise my enactment — it is not governmental astatine my quality enactment level.’ 

Mr Danchenko, present a freelance advisor specialising successful Russia and Eurasia, warned that Moscow is exploiting the politicised responsibility lines relating to Trump’s narration with Russia. 

‘I bash deliberation Russia remains uniquely positioned to leverage its power connected Trump,’ helium said. 

‘Perception of specified quality successful America contiguous differs on enactment lines. 

‘To immoderate Democrats, the Steele dossier was a glimpse into that satellite portion to others it was provided by The Senate Committee connected Intelligence study connected the Trump run and Russia, oregon the Mueller report.  

‘To Trump voters, that was politically leveraged by Trump’s ain peculiar counsel John Durham and his report.

‘Russia understands this duality of cognition and exploits it.  

‘As for Trump himself, helium appears to hold with Putin’s views connected Ukraine. It is much than Putin’s powerfulness of persuasion. And Ukraine is simply a apical overseas argumentation precedence for Russia.’ 

The erstwhile FBI informant believes the bureau is amended prepared present to observe and antagonistic Russian power operations compared with the predetermination won by Joe Biden successful 2020 and Trump successful 2016.

‘I worked alongside the FBI passim the Trump presidency,’ helium said.  

‘I judge the FBI has precocious successful their detecting, knowing and minimising overseas power successful elections. At the aforesaid time, it is ever a catch-up game, and determination are caller threats to mitigate.

‘Still, I don’t expect large counter-intelligence and overseas power issues similar successful the erstwhile 2 cycles to haunt us, possibly with an objection of immoderate Ukraine-related issues going forward.

‘Still, they are marginal for the existent predetermination due to the fact that America is much introvert, though not isolationist, arsenic galore would similar to spot it.’ 

The dossier was described arsenic the ‘Russiagate hoax’ and a ‘fabrication’ by Joe Rogan and Elon Musk successful the former’s YouTube podcast released connected Monday.

But Mr Danchenko’s reliability arsenic a confidential informant was attested to by FBI witnesses astatine the trial, wherever helium was acquitted connected each counts successful a large stroke for Mr Durham’s investigation.

The expert believes that the Steele dossier and different materials relating to Trump’s purported Russia links stay pertinent to America’s overseas policy. 

‘The US has been progressively inward-looking implicit the past 8 years,’ helium said. ‘Foreign argumentation is not a apical taxable successful this predetermination and overseas quality and counterintelligence are mostly near to professionals.  

‘Yet the Trump-Russia dossier and different documents from the Trump presidency stay applicable to knowing however US overseas argumentation volition signifier up some nether Harris oregon Trump.’ 

Mr Danchenko present views Trump and the Kremlin as having aligned interests — careless of what Russia whitethorn person locked distant successful the cabinet.

Asked if the reported links remain, helium replied: ‘It depends what 1 sees arsenic a “link”. In a consciousness of run links to radical successful the Russian authorities oregon quality circles, arsenic successful 2016, I don’t observe that.

‘But determination are surely shared interests and overlap and cross-pollination successful the propaganda and ideology echo enclosure connected some sides and determination are immoderate cases of Russian predetermination interference.’ 

Harris has a constrictive pb implicit Trump with plaything states Arizona, Georgia, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Nebraska’s 2nd District being captious to the poll, according to YouGov.  

Ukraine’s adjacent three-year combat against the full-scale Russian invasion hangs connected the result, arsenic the US is Kyiv’s biggest supplier of arms.  

Trump has said helium volition beryllium capable to ‘work retired thing out’ if helium wins the predetermination but has not provided immoderate further details.  

Harris, the existent vice-president, has pledged to beryllium a steadfast state of Kyiv and to ‘work to guarantee Ukraine prevails successful this war.’ 

MORE : Putin’s sinister crippled program is to ‘rot and degrade’ his mode to victory

MORE : Why ‘paranoid’ Donald Trump ‘will beryllium adjacent much dangerous’ successful presidency 2.0

MORE : Mysterious deaths of Russians successful UK ‘bear manus of Putin’s concealed services’

Do you person a communicative you would similar to share? Contact [email protected]

This tract is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.