PUTIN USES TRUMP-BACKED TALKS TO GAIN EDGE IN UKRAINE WAR
US President Donald Trump announced Monday that Russia and Ukraine have agreed to begin direct ceasefire negotiations, hailing it as a major diplomatic breakthrough. However, European and Ukrainian analysts are warning that the move represents a strategic win for Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has managed to sideline Washington while gaining diplomatic cover for continued offensives.
Trump, who shared the development on Truth Social, claimed credit for initiating talks aimed at ending Europe’s deadliest conflict since World War II. But Ukrainian officials and international experts believe Putin is using the talks to buy time and avoid additional US sanctions while massing new troops for a fresh offensive. They also noted that Putin continues to delegitimize Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, casting doubt on the Kremlin’s sincerity.
Putin publicly thanked Trump after a two-hour call on Monday, declaring that Russia would begin drafting a memorandum for a possible ceasefire. However, experts like Anton Shekhovtsov of the Centre for Democratic Integrity dismissed the talks as theatre. “Putin doesn’t see Zelenskyy as a person worthy of negotiation,” he said. Observers fear the Kremlin will prolong talks indefinitely while intensifying military operations on the ground.
