In the face of Donald Trump's barrage of declarations, Vladimir Putin has remained strangely mute. Everything about the US president's words and actions in recent days has confirmed his desire to draw closer to Russia, three years after the invasion of Ukraine. But the head of the Kremlin has said nothing. "This American approach is generally positive, but there are nuances," Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on Wednesday, March 5. Evasive, he was commenting on Trump's statements made the previous day during his speech to Congress, on the possibility of talks to end the conflict.

The Kremlin's minimalist reaction contrasts with the triumphant remarks flooding social media: Trump's February 28 altercation at the White House with Volodymyr Zelensky, presented in Moscow as a devastating humiliation for the Ukrainian president, then Washington's Tuesday announcement of a freeze on military support for Kyiv, are praised as successes for Putin.

"The head of the Kremlin, however, remains a black box..." said a senior European diplomat long stationed in Moscow. "When he makes a decision, he doesn't hesitate to hit hard. But he hates to act under pressure, so before deciding, he waits and observes. Then, master of consensus within the elites, he makes a decision."

You have 66.02% of this article left to read. The rest is for subscribers only.