As today’s call approaches, Donald Trump has emphasised the significance of his dialogue with Russia’s Vladimir Putin.
The results suggest that there is not much to celebrate.
The Russian president has provided the US leader with a semblance of progress regarding peace in Ukraine, carefully avoiding appearing to have been outmanoeuvred by the Kremlin.
Trump highlights Putin’s commitment to cease assaults on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure for 30 days. The potential occurrence of such an event could provide much-needed relief to civilians.
However, it falls short of the complete and unconditional ceasefire the United States sought from Russia.
The conflict that Trump has claimed he can bring to an end continues to unfold with intensity.
Putin, who faces indictment as a suspected war criminal by the ICC, has found himself reinvigorated in the upper echelons of global politics.
Russian state media reports indicate that the two presidents’ phone conversation extended beyond two hours. The Kremlin’s official statement regarding the call is extensive, spanning 500 words.
The dialogue unfolds casually, revealing that the participants discussed ice hockey—details likely to resonate with an audience in Russia.
Following three years of isolation from the Western world, marked by strained relations even prior, Russia is now re-establishing direct communications with a US administration eager to foster engagement.
The two leaders are discussing peace in the Middle East and the broader global security issue.
The Kremlin likely finds it hard to comprehend the extent of the transformation.
In anticipation of the upcoming call, speculation arose regarding the possibility of Donald Trump exerting pressure on Russia. It has become evident over a week that progress on the ceasefire has been at a standstill.
However, there appears to be no indication that Putin will face a reprimand similar to the one experienced by Ukraine’s leader, Volodymyr Zelensky, during his visit to the Oval Office two weeks prior.
Accounts from both countries indicate that there has been no change in the situation.
Russia has reiterated its desire for peace. Rather than taking the decisive step of grounding its drones and silencing its weapons, the focus appears to be on debating the mechanisms for monitoring a ceasefire that has yet to materialise.
In the meantime, additional conditions are being imposed that could significantly undermine Kyiv’s capacity to mount a defence.
There is a call for an immediate halt to the flow of weapons and intelligence to Ukraine from its allied nations.
Ukrainians cling to a fragile hope as the United States has yet to endorse these developments.
Observers can interpret the call as evidence that Russia remains uninterested in concluding its invasion.
However, all this dialogue is unlikely to provide significant respite for Ukraine amidst its ongoing struggles.
The situation must be disheartening for US diplomacy.
This day will likely be viewed as a significant achievement for the Kremlin, a scenario that seemed unlikely before Donald Trump’s return to the White House.
