This marks a definite shift in Russia’s war against Ukraine—with a potential deal between the U.S. and Russia that would have lasting benefits for Putin as he’s given the green light to continue the annexation of the sovereign country he invaded in 2022.
“I just had a lengthy and highly productive phone call with President Vladimir Putin of Russia,” Trump said in his post. “As we both agreed, we want to stop the millions of deaths taking place in the War with Russia/Ukraine. President Putin even used my powerful Campaign motto of, ‘COMMON SENSE.’ We both believe very strongly in it. We agreed to work together, very closely, including visiting each other’s Nations. We have also agreed to have our respective teams start negotiations immediately, and we will begin by calling President Zelenskyy, of Ukraine, to inform him of the conversation, something which I will be doing right now.”
Not only did Trump say that he’d begin negotiations “immediately” between the U.S. and Russia, but he also referenced Putin’s use of Trump’s “power campaign motto” of “common sense.”
How does Trump not see that Putin knows how to get what he wants by playing to Trump’s fragile ego and need to be seen as an influential strongman?
An hour later, Trump posted that he had, indeed, spoken with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, saying on Truth Social that Zelenskyy agreed that Ukraine “wants to make PEACE.”
“It is time to stop this ridiculous War, where there has been massive, and totally unnecessary, DEATH and DESTRUCTION,” Trump added. “God bless the people of Russia and Ukraine!”
Zelenskyy took to X after the phone call and said in a video statement, “We believe that America’s stretch is sufficient to pressure Russia and Putin into peace.”
“I had a long and detailed conversation with President Trump,” wrote Zelenskyy. “I appreciate his genuine interest in our shared opportunities and how we can bring about real peace together.”
Coincidentally, Trump’s announcements came shortly after the U.S. Department of Defense announced it would capitulate to Russia in drawing Ukraine’s borders. On Wednesday, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said that Ukraine’s pre-invasion borders were “an unrealistic objective” and an “illusionary goal” during his first trip to meet with NATO in Brussels.
Putin's Ukraine
The End of War and the Price of Russian Occupation
After three years of grinding war, many of Ukraine’s partners are pushing for a cease-fire with Russia. But Ukrainians remain deeply resistant to these calls for negotiation, not only out of a sense of patriotism but also “because they know there is little chance of survival under Moscow’s rule,” writes the journalist Nataliya Gumenyuk in the forthcoming issue of Foreign Affairs.
Even now, with Ukraine facing mounting casualties and ammunition shortages, “most Ukrainians see continuing to fight as incomparably better than the terror of Russian occupation,” Gumenyuk writes.
BILD quotes Carlo Masala, a professor of international politics at the Bundeswehr University of Munich, who is confident that Putin will try to keep all the occupied territories, avoid further sanctions, and try to attack again in a few years.
"European security forces will not stop him from launching another attack on the rest of Ukraine in a few years. Thus, Putin has won this war. He has achieved that the Americans have withdrawn from this conflict," Masala added.
Trump wasted no time leveraging U.S. foreign aid to Ukraine in exchange for $500 billion of its mineral reserves...I think Zelenskyy thinks he will get weapons from Trump (but) I think Trump wants Zelenskyy to pay for all the military aid the US has given Ukraine but no new weapons are coming.
We need to recoup those costs and that is going to be a partnership with the Ukrainians in terms of their rare earths, their natural resources, and their oil and gas,” US National Security Adviser Mike Waltz said in an interview on Sunday.