U.S. President Donald Trump has stated that there was no progress made on ending the war with Ukraine during his conversation with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin.
Trump spoke with Putin for more than an hour on Thursday over the phone.
He said they had a long discussion about Iran and Ukraine. Trump expressed his dissatisfaction over the ongoing war in Ukraine, saying he was “not happy” about it. However, he admitted that no progress was made on the issue during the call with Putin.
Russia has not disclosed any discussion about ending the war with Ukraine during the call. Instead, it revealed that the conversation focused on Iran.
Israel had launched a military operation on June 13 to halt Iran’s nuclear weapons program. However, it failed to destroy the nuclear facility built deep beneath a mountain bunker in Fordow, Iran. Following this, the United States carried out an airstrike on June 22 using over 125 aircraft to target Iran’s nuclear sites. Subsequently, Trump brokered a ceasefire between Israel and Iran and has been pressuring Iran to enter negotiations to halt its nuclear weapons program.
Russia stated that during the conversation with Trump, President Putin emphasized that the issue with Iran should be resolved through diplomacy.
Trump spoke with Putin two days after he halted the supply of certain weapons to Ukraine needed for its fight against Russia. He halted the supply of defensive missiles (interceptors) and some other weapons that the Biden administration had decided to provide under the Patriot air-defense system, known for its precision targeting.
According to the U.S.-based online outlet Politico, Pentagon policy chief Elbridge Colby supported the decision by pointing out that the U.S. stockpile of artillery, air-defense missiles, and precision weapons is depleting.
Just a week ago, during the NATO summit held in The Hague, Netherlands, Trump had said he would consider selling Patriot air-defense missiles to Ukraine. However, he has now halted the transfer of those weapons, including ones that had already been delivered to neighboring Poland for handover to Ukraine.
Officials from the Trump administration have argued that the U.S. must focus its full attention on the long-term threat posed by China. Additionally, with rising tensions in the Middle East, they believe immediate focus is needed there as well. For these reasons, the U.S. has decided to suspend weapons deliveries to Ukraine.
After meeting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in The Hague and showing sympathy towards him, Trump made this decision just a week later. In late February, during a meeting at the White House, Trump had scolded Zelenskyy in a way that was seen as humiliating. However, after the June 25 meeting, he described Zelenskyy as a good person.
When asked by reporters whether they discussed ending the Russia–Ukraine war, Trump replied, “No, no, I just wanted to know how he was doing. During the conversation, he was really very nice. He is fighting a tough battle. It’s a tough war.”
Commenting on the February confrontation at the White House, Trump admitted that there had been a difficult situation between the two leaders in the past.
On the other hand, Trump—who has maintained good relations with Russian President Vladimir Putin—has now issued a strong statement about him.
“Vladimir Putin must end this war. People are dying at a level we haven’t seen in a long time,” Trump said.
He also mentioned that Putin had proposed mediating in the Iran-Israel war.
“That’s not necessary. Russia can help with [ending the] war,” Trump said he had replied to Putin.
At Trump’s initiative, the United States is currently mediating for a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine. Trump has been publicly and privately pressuring both countries to agree to a ceasefire.
Although Ukraine easily accepted the U.S.-proposed 30-day temporary ceasefire, Putin did not agree.
He has made demands such as Ukraine not joining NATO, reducing its military forces, and ceding not only the Ukrainian territories currently occupied by Russia but also regions not under its control.
After Trump’s phone conversation with Putin on May 19, many had expected the war might come to an end. However, even during the two-hour call, Trump was unable to persuade Putin. Following that, Trump backed down from his demand that Russia immediately declare a ceasefire.
Instead of taking steps toward peace, Putin intensified the attacks on Ukraine. As a result, Trump has recently begun making strong statements about Putin.
Trump is reportedly considering new sanctions against Russia, believing that Putin is merely pretending to engage in peace talks and is playing games.
If Russia does not appear serious about peace, Trump is expected to take tough action against Moscow.
At the beginning of June, Ukraine used a large number of drones to destroy several Russian bomber aircraft. Following this, peace talks between Russia and Ukraine were held in Turkey. However, no progress was made toward ending the war.
During the one-hour dialogue, Russia formally presented its conditions, stating that the war would only end if Ukraine agreed to relinquish more territory and reduce the size of its army.
Russia has maintained that it is seeking a long-term solution rather than a temporary ceasefire.
Ukraine, on the other hand, accuses President Putin of not wanting peace.
According to the terms published by Russian news agency Interfax, Russia demands international recognition of Crimea—which it annexed from Ukraine in 2014—as Russian territory. Similarly, Russia seeks international recognition for four other Ukrainian regions it claims as its own.
However, the four regions Russia claims are not fully under Russian military control. Russia is demanding that Ukrainian forces withdraw from those areas as well.
Russia has repeated its conditions that Ukraine must remain a neutral country, never join NATO, protect the rights of Russian-speaking people, recognize Russian as an official language, and end what it calls “Nazification.”
Ukraine denies any discrimination against Russian-speaking people. The global community largely considers the claim of “Nazification” in Ukraine to be absurd.
Ukraine, on its part, has demanded a complete and unconditional ceasefire—by air, land, and sea.
The ceasefire would be monitored by the United States. After that, all prisoners would be released, Ukrainian children forcibly taken to Russia would be returned, and a meeting between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and President Putin would be arranged.
Ukraine has also demanded security guarantees to ensure that Russia does not launch another attack.
Ukraine further insists that Russia’s claims over Ukrainian territories under its control must not be internationally recognized.
Additionally, Ukraine opposes any limits on its military strength. It also demands that Western sanctions on Russia should only be lifted gradually and that new sanctions should be imposed if Russia violates any agreements.
According to Ukraine’s conditions, Russian assets seized by the U.S. and other Western nations should be used for Ukraine’s reconstruction.
