The results of the phone negotiations between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin suggest the Kremlin’s intent to demonstrate Washington’s inability to impose its agenda or achieve its desired outcomes in discussions with Russia. The Kremlin maintains a stance in which Trump appears as a petitioner.
Following the talks, Moscow launched another wave of airstrikes using drones and ballistic missiles, prompting air raid warnings across most of Ukraine. This act is evidently a sign of disrespect toward President Trump from the Russian side.
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The Kremlin’s current objective is to highlight Trump’s inability to exert influence over Russia, hinder his efforts to advance U.S. interests, and expose his failure to fulfill campaign promises, particularly regarding the cessation of the war.
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There is strong belief that Moscow is stalling for time and will ultimately sabotage the proposed 30-day ceasefire agreement. This suspicion is further supported by Russia’s ongoing psychological operations (psyOps) accusing Ukraine of invading the Belgorod region and continuing its attempts to breach Ukraine’s Sumy region. Such actions directly contradict any genuine willingness for a peace deal.
By dragging out the negotiation process, Russia aims to undermine international assistance to Ukraine’s defense forces, specifically the supply of weapons. Simultaneously, Russia leverages these talks to maintain its appearance of involvement in global geopolitical processes, particularly regarding Middle Eastern security issues.
It appears that Donald Trump overestimated his ability to pressure Putin into accepting peace.
