The two presidents, the United States and Russia, held telephone talks that should have the most serious impact on the course of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict. The conversation between Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump had not ended at the time of signing the number. Before him, the American president indicated that the United States was counting on a quick deal to end the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. At the same time, according to Trump, many elements of the agreement have already been agreed in principle, and the negotiations on it have entered a crucial stage.
The conversation between Putin and Trump, of course, could not but become an important milestone in establishing Russian-American contacts, which were reduced to almost zero after February 2022. The American side emphasized this in particular. Trump wrote on the Truth Social network that he was “looking forward” to talking with Putin, as “many elements of the final agreement” between the two countries, it turns out, “have already been agreed, although much remains to be done.” Once again, the US president confirmed what experts had warned about for a long time: much of the Russian-American dialogue will be hidden from American allies, American lawmakers and the public, who will only be presented with final decisions, and not all of them.
By itself, this format of the negotiation process can already be recognized as a great success for the Kremlin, because it is in it that the Russian side traditionally feels more confident. In addition, there was a sharp contrast with the diplomatic activity of the United States, which preceded the events of February 2022. At that time, the West tried to make every step public, hoping that such tactics would hinder the Russian Federation. Did the Russian negotiators (by the way, much more experienced than the Trump administration’s foreign policy team) manage to outplay the United States as a whole?
Prior to Tuesday’s talks between the two presidents, most experts who commented on the situation agreed that it had succeeded rather than failed. Since February 2022, the main topic in Russian-American relations has been Ukraine. In Washington, with regard to the Russian Federation, they were ready to discuss only the conflict between Moscow and Kiev. Under Trump, he is becoming only one of the topics in bilateral contacts. Already before the talks in February 2025 in Riyadh, Dmitry Peskov, the press secretary of the President of the Russian Federation, announced that they would be devoted “primarily to restoring the entire complex of Russian-American relations.” Indeed, following the meeting, it was stated that they were ready to normalize the work of the embassies of the two countries. This topic later became the subject of discussion at a separate meeting in Istanbul. Now, the Russian Federation and the United States are even discussing American strikes on the positions of the Yemeni Houthis. Objectively, Trump’s actions aimed at destroying the instruments of American soft power are also working in favor of the Kremlin. The United States Agency for International Development (USAID), which was expelled from the Russian Federation back in 2012, and the state-owned American radio stations, which were declared undesirable and foreign agents in the Russian Federation, are now out of favor with the court and the White House. The assessments of their activities by Trump and the Kremlin paradoxically coincided. Finally, thanks to the efforts of the current American administration, relations between the United States and Europe have become more tense. It is Europe, and not just the EU: the threat of a tariff war with America is hanging over Britain, which has committed Brexit and for a long time hoped for the creation of a single free trade area with the United States. Meanwhile, the fate of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict is being decided in a dialogue between the Russian Federation and the United States. Neither the EU nor Ukraine are involved in it.
Moreover, there is no indication that Trump took into account the position of Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky. He categorically insisted that negotiations on a truce or peace with Russia should be preceded by guarantees of Ukraine’s security in case the Russian Federation resumes hostilities after a while. For a long time, Zelensky refused to consider anything other than his country’s accession to NATO as a guarantee. But Trump has made it clear that he is not satisfied with this. The agreement between the United States and Ukraine on the use of Ukrainian minerals has for some time been announced by the White House as such a security guarantee. However, after the Ukrainian-American talks in Jeddah on March 11, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that this was no longer the case. In any case, the agreement has not yet been signed, although Zelensky said he was ready to sign it. The White House is not talking about any other guarantees of Ukraine’s security.
However, it is unclear yet what conclusions can be drawn from these actions by Trump and his team. Perhaps those experts who believe that the American president is ready to “trade” Ukraine for cooperation with Russia on other issues are right. After all, last year, prominent Trumpist Vivek Ramaswamy bluntly said that the goal of American policy towards Russia should be its separation from China, and what would be required to sacrifice for this, in fact, is a secondary issue. Or perhaps Trump is only creating the appearance of compliance and, in fact, having obtained Ukraine’s consent to future concessions for the sake of peace, he will just as harshly “push through” Russia.
Before the telephone conversation between the two presidents, First Deputy White House Press Secretary Harrison Fields confirmed to reporters that the United States was aiming to achieve peace in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine as soon as possible. “President Trump is serious. And basically, he wants to achieve peace. This is exactly what he will probably be able to achieve in a very short time,” he said on the News Nation TV channel. In addition, the American side makes it clear that it is aimed specifically at long-term peace between Ukraine and the Russian Federation, and considers the 30-day truce to be only a step towards it. In general, Moscow agrees with the idea of a truce. But, as Putin said, “there are nuances.” The outcome of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict also depends on what they will be like.Â
