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President Donald Trump has opened the door to negotiations with Russian President Vladimir Putin over ending the war in Ukraine, in equal measure spurring hopes for peace and fears that Moscow would use the opportunity to manipulate the situation to its advantage against a beleaguered Kyiv. While Mr. Trump wrote on social media that on the 90-minute call both leaders concurred on their desire to “stop the millions of deaths taking place…,” and that Washington and Moscow would “work together, very closely”, Russia noted that Mr. Putin had “expressed readiness to receive American officials in Russia regarding areas of mutual interest, including, of course, the topic of Ukrainian settlement”. Mr. Trump’s call, including specifics on a ceasefire and the possibility of their meet in Saudi Arabia, represents a break from the status quo, which, since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, has seen the Kremlin face diplomatic isolation and crippling western/NATO sanctions. Although Mr. Trump’s predecessor, Joe Biden, had in this context made his administration’s view on Mr. Putin clear when he described the Russian President as “murderous dictator” and a “pure thug”, Mr. Trump had promised, even during the campaign leading to the 2024 presidential election, that he would end the war within “24 hours” after being sworn into office.
On the one hand, if Mr. Trump’s efforts come to fruition, it would mark a breakthrough in terms of bringing Mr. Putin to the negotiating table, an outcome that has so far appeared impossible, given Moscow’s resolve to press on with its war plans. On the other, the terms of the negotiation hinted at so far by the Trump administration make it likely that Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will have to accept an unpalatable outcome. This appears inevitable given that U.S. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth suggested that no U.S. troops would be committed to Ukraine in any future security arrangement, that Ukraine would not be invited to join NATO, and that the option of Ukraine reverting to pre-2014 borders, prior to Russia annexing Crimea, would be virtually ruled out. Indeed, Mr. Zelenskyy would not be wrong to assume that the U.S.’s promise to sustain NATO support for Ukraine “for as long as it takes” has been unequivocally betrayed by the Trump administration’s stance on the subject. This denouement is likely to have a profound — and damaging — impact on the security and economy of not only Ukraine but also of the EU, given that the White House has de facto made Russian territorial aggression a European problem, and sees Mr. Putin as a less concerning threat than undocumented migration and trade deficits.
Published – February 14, 2025 12:10 am IST
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Engaging Russia: On U.S. President Trump, Russia and the Ukraine war
