Trump-Putin phone
Judging by the headlines in some Russian media outlets on Wednesday, Moscow may be assuming that the latest telephone conversation between Russian President Putin and US President Trump is going well. Of course, it has gone well for the Kremlin.
Putin and Trump have agreed to work together to resolve the Ukraine crisis, Izvestia reported. Komsomolskaya Pravda wrote that the Putin-Trump phone call is a record. The newspaper’s website added that, given the current state of affairs, Russia has achieved a diplomatic victory here.
Why are some in Russia claiming a “victory” after the two-hour call? Perhaps this is because, in the end, Putin was not pressured to make any major concessions to Ukraine or the United States. On the contrary, he was able to effectively reject Trump’s idea of an immediate unconditional 30-day ceasefire.
Instead of pressuring Moscow with threats of tougher sanctions and fines to get Russia to sign on to his plan, the US administration responded by praising the Kremlin leader.
Trump told Fox News, “We had a great call.”
“I would like to commend President Putin for what he has done to bring his country closer to a final peace agreement,” Trump’s envoy, Steve Witkoff, said.
Putin, who rejected an unconditional ceasefire, set out his own goals for peace during the call with Trump. These include cutting off Western military aid and intelligence to Kiev. He also opposed any troop buildup in Ukraine, which is widely seen as a way to ensure Ukraine’s surrender.
It is hard to imagine Kiev agreeing to these terms. But the question now is — can Moscow finally convince the Trump administration that these terms are acceptable? And if so, will Washington force Ukraine to accept them?
Much will depend on whether the Kremlin can convince President Trump that Trump has more to gain from building good relations with Moscow than from cornering Ukraine.
