United States: During his gradual efforts, Putin achieved better relations for Russia with America and caused a rift between US and European relations, but his support for Donald Trump’s Ukrainian peace plans remained minimal.
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The US claimed that prior to their extended phone call, both presidents would discuss implementing a 30-day peace truce with Russia even though Ukraine had previously approved the truce’s initial measures to reach complete peace terms.
The agreement established boundaries for both Russia and Ukraine against conducting military strikes on power supply facilities until the next month.
Putin took measures to avoid making Trump look like he received no concessions during their call since it marked the initial collaboration between both forces to reduce combat in the three years of war, although this lasted only briefly, Reuters reported.
A month-long ceasefire against Ukraine’s energy facilities and naval operations would represent major limitations on Ukrainian military action since the war started because Ukraine destroyed Russian oil infrastructure and naval forces, which provide substantial war funding.
Russian military forces exploit their current freedom to attack land, specifically around the western Kursk region, as they continue efforts to force out Ukrainian troops from formerly seized Russian lands that were captured months before.
At this time, Putin expressed the Russian prerequisites for a bigger ceasefire agreement, which requires both blocking Ukrainian weapons accumulation and troop recruitment. Ukraine rejects those terms.
What do officials have to say?
As per a Russia specialist at the International Institute for Strategic Studies in London, Nigel Gould-Davies, Putin had effectively turned down the wider truce and was unlikely to consider it seriously unless Trump made good on threats to intensify economic pressure on Russia with further sanctions, Reuters reported.
“He’s said he’s interested (in the ceasefire), but he’s set a series of clearly unacceptable conditions for it. It’s a ‘no’ by any other name,” as per Gould-Davies.
Additionally, “Up until recently, we really didn’t have consensus around these two aspects – the energy and infrastructure ceasefire and the Black Sea moratorium on firing – and today we got to that place, and I think it’s a relatively short distance to a full ceasefire from there,” Trump envoy Steve Witkoff stated at Fox News “Hannity” program.