A day before the meeting between US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Russian President Vladimir Putin initiated a phone call with the American president. The conversation lasted about two and a half hours and focused on the potential supply of Tomahawk missiles to the Ukrainian army—a development that greatly concerns the Russians due to the missile’s ability to strike critical infrastructure deep inside their territory. Trump agreed to speak with Putin despite his dissatisfaction with the Russian leader’s conduct following their summit in Alaska.
In the two months since the summit, Trump has increased public pressure on Russia and voiced support for Ukraine’s ability “to take back their country in its original form.” In addition, Trump publicly referred to Russia as a “paper tiger” and provided Ukraine with critical intelligence for its strikes on Russian oil and gas infrastructure, including refineries across the country. Internationally, Trump and his cabinet have sharply criticized India for purchasing large quantities of Russian oil during the war. He did not hesitate to pressure Turkish President Erdoğan to stop buying oil and gas from Russia during their White House meeting, as part of negotiations over the purchase of F-35 fighter jets.
It should be noted that both sides released similarly worded summaries of the phone call between the two presidents. Putin praised Trump for his success in ending the war between Israel and Hamas. Trump, for his part, described the conversation as very productive and noted that senior officials from both sides are expected to meet next week, led by Secretary of State Rubio. He also reiterated the possibility of expanding trade between the two countries once the war ends. Following his call with Putin, Trump announced his intention to meet him within two weeks in Budapest.
Trump’s meeting with Zelenskyy at the White House last Friday failed to meet Ukrainian expectations, with several reports describing it as tense. Before the Trump–Putin phone call, there was a sense that the United States was about to take significant steps to support Ukraine; now it appears that Trump has been persuaded by Putin’s argument that supplying Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine would escalate the war and severely damage US–Russia relations.
Despite the obstacles, Trump believes he can bring both sides to end the war, especially in light of his success in concluding the conflict between Israel and Hamas. Trump views himself as a central player on the global stage and as the only one capable of ending wars. He has yet to exhaust his full range of tools, which include, among others, devastating sanctions against Russian oil and gas exports if negotiations fail. Trump still believes that the desired deal, an end to the war, has not yet matured and is not feasible at this stage. Only when he feels the conditions are ripe will he apply maximum pressure to achieve his goal. Ultimately, Trump holds the cards, and everything depends on him.
A day before the meeting between US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Russian President Vladimir Putin initiated a phone call with the American president. The conversation lasted about two and a half hours and focused on the potential supply of Tomahawk missiles to the Ukrainian army—a development that greatly concerns the Russians due to the missile’s ability to strike critical infrastructure deep inside their territory. Trump agreed to speak with Putin despite his dissatisfaction with the Russian leader’s conduct following their summit in Alaska.
In the two months since the summit, Trump has increased public pressure on Russia and voiced support for Ukraine’s ability “to take back their country in its original form.” In addition, Trump publicly referred to Russia as a “paper tiger” and provided Ukraine with critical intelligence for its strikes on Russian oil and gas infrastructure, including refineries across the country. Internationally, Trump and his cabinet have sharply criticized India for purchasing large quantities of Russian oil during the war. He did not hesitate to pressure Turkish President Erdoğan to stop buying oil and gas from Russia during their White House meeting, as part of negotiations over the purchase of F-35 fighter jets.
It should be noted that both sides released similarly worded summaries of the phone call between the two presidents. Putin praised Trump for his success in ending the war between Israel and Hamas. Trump, for his part, described the conversation as very productive and noted that senior officials from both sides are expected to meet next week, led by Secretary of State Rubio. He also reiterated the possibility of expanding trade between the two countries once the war ends. Following his call with Putin, Trump announced his intention to meet him within two weeks in Budapest.
Trump’s meeting with Zelenskyy at the White House last Friday failed to meet Ukrainian expectations, with several reports describing it as tense. Before the Trump–Putin phone call, there was a sense that the United States was about to take significant steps to support Ukraine; now it appears that Trump has been persuaded by Putin’s argument that supplying Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine would escalate the war and severely damage US–Russia relations.
Despite the obstacles, Trump believes he can bring both sides to end the war, especially in light of his success in concluding the conflict between Israel and Hamas. Trump views himself as a central player on the global stage and as the only one capable of ending wars. He has yet to exhaust his full range of tools, which include, among others, devastating sanctions against Russian oil and gas exports if negotiations fail. Trump still believes that the desired deal, an end to the war, has not yet matured and is not feasible at this stage. Only when he feels the conditions are ripe will he apply maximum pressure to achieve his goal. Ultimately, Trump holds the cards, and everything depends on him.