Diplomats, economists believe Putin outplays Trump, Trump to try to convince Ukraine to accept Putin's demands

Former Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis is convinced that Trump will try to convince Ukraine to accept Putin's demands.

“Putin is repeating the same ridiculous demands. And we are counting the minutes until Trump tries telling Ukraine to accept them,” Landsbergis wrote on X.

Former US Ambassador to Ukraine (1998-2000), nuclear weapons expert Steven Pifer believes that during a two-hour conversation, Vladimir Putin “played” US President Donald Trump and peace is not expected in the near future.

“In other words, no Russia-Ukraine ceasefire now. Putin can keep making war on Ukraine while dragging out negotiations on ceasefire and ultimate settlement. It looks like Putin played Trump again, including by dangling unrealistic prospects of large-scale trade,” Pifer wrote on X on Monday following Trump's talks with Putin.

The first Russian foreign minister, Andrei Kozyrev (1990-1996), noted after the talks that “Putin strings Western leaders along because it makes him and his ‘allies’ feel powerful again. For him, humiliating democracies is every bit as important as subjugating Ukraine,” he wrote on X.

Dmytro Lytvyn, communications advisor to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, commented on Kozyrev's post, writing: "true."

Economist and senior sovereign strategist at RBC Bluebay Asset Management Timothy Ash believes that Putin outsmarted Trump as a result of Monday's talks. “Putin can continue to wage war with zero risk of additional sanctions from Trump. Trump saved Putin,” he wrote on X.

At the same time, the president of the Kyiv School of Economics (KSE) and former Minister of Economic Development, Trade and Agriculture in 2019-2020, Tymofiy Mylovanov, noted that "Putin and Trump agreed to continue to negotiate but not much else."

As reported, Trump had a telephone conversation with Putin on Monday evening, which lasted more than two hours. According to Trump, negotiations between the Russian Federation and Ukraine will begin immediately. He also stated that the Russian Federation wants to conduct large-scale trade with the United States after the war. According to Putin, the Russian Federation is ready to work on a memorandum on a future peace treaty with Ukraine. In addition, the Russian Federation and Ukraine must find compromises that suit both sides, and a ceasefire with Ukraine is possible after reaching appropriate agreements.

Trump had a short conversation with Zelenskyy before the call to Putin.