Russian ruler Vladimir Putin’s agreement to limit strikes on Ukraine gave US President Donald Trump a chance to save face, but there is little indication that Moscow is ready to end the war without Ukraine’s capitulation, The Times reports.
Trump hoped his “great relationship” with the Russian leader would help him secure a full 30-day ceasefire in Ukraine. Instead, he was forced to settle for a ban on strikes against Russian and Ukrainian energy infrastructure and was presented with Russia’s usual list of demands.
During the over two-hour conversation, Putin told Trump that peace is only possible if the West halts military aid to Ukraine and stops sharing intelligence with the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
Pro-Kremlin figures expressed confidence that Putin would outmaneuver Trump in future negotiations on the war against Ukraine.
“Putin does many things very well. But he is best at negotiating with Donald Trump,” said Alexander Dugin, an ultra-nationalist writer and the ideologue of the “Russian world” concept.
Pro-Kremlin political analyst Ilya Grashchenkov remarked that Russia had “got lucky” with Trump.
“I am convinced that the negotiations with the US will go well. But the negotiations will be very difficult,” he said.
As a symbolic gesture following the call, Russian officials ordered the removal of large pro-war symbols near the US Embassy.
The Kremlin also announced that Putin and Trump agreed to organize hockey matches in Russia and the US, featuring players from both countries.
Additionally, the Kremlin said the two leaders agreed that Russia and the US would work together on “global security” issues, including cooperation in the Middle East and the Red Sea.
“This marks an obvious victory for Putin, who seeks to decouple bilateral relations from the Ukraine war,” Russian political analyst Tatiana Stanovaya, labeled a “foreign agent” by Moscow, commented on the decision on social media.
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