Instead of a truce, hockey: how Moscow is drawing the US into a game to break out of isolation
Yesterday’s telephone conversation between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin became another evidence that the American president’s diplomatic initiatives have more of a symbolic than a real effect. Despite Trump’s loud claims about a “very good and productive” conversation, key issues in Russia’s war against Ukraine remain open, and Moscow’s real concessions look minimal, if not outright whimsical. As proof of Trump’s dissatisfaction with the communication with the Russian president, experts cite the cancellation of the press conference that was planned after the conversation. By the way, there was no joint communique based on the results of the dialogue.
Putin rejected a full truce
As reported by the publication The Guardian, after a phone conversation with Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin agreed to a limited ceasefire, which involves stopping attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure. At the same time, he refused to support Trump’s proposed 30-day complete cessation of hostilities, which Kyiv had already approved last week. The Kremlin has said that Russia will agree to a broader ceasefire only if all Western military aid to Ukraine ends.
After the conversation, Trump pathetically declared on Truth Social that the discussion was “very good and productive.” He noted that both sides agreed on the immediate cessation of attacks on energy infrastructure and will work to achieve a complete ceasefire. The Kremlin has confirmed that Putin has ordered an end to strikes on Ukraine’s energy facilities. However, just a few hours later, aerial alarms and explosions occurred in Kyiv due to Russian drone attacks. Zelenskyi said that Russia had launched more than 40 drones on civilian objects, including a hospital in Sumy.
The President of Ukraine said that he expects clarifications from Washington regarding the details of Trump’s conversation with Putin. He emphasized that Ukraine is open to ending attacks on infrastructure, but wants to know all the details of the agreements.
In an interview with Fox News, Trump admitted that the situation on the front is difficult and emphasized that Russia has an advantage because it has surrounded Ukrainian troops. At the same time, he denied that he had discussed military aid to Ukraine with Putin. Meanwhile, the American publication Semafor reported that the White House is considering the possibility of officially recognizing Crimea as Russian territory as part of a potential peace agreement, as well as putting pressure on the UN to support such a decision.
The Kremlin said that Putin put forward tough conditions for a broader ceasefire, including an end to Western arms supplies and a halt to mobilization in Ukraine. Putin also insists that any peace agreement must take into account “Russia’s security interests”, in particular Ukraine’s non-joining of NATO, its demilitarization and recognition of Russian control over the occupied territories.
The Kremlin positively assessed Putin’s conversation with Trump, and the advisor to the Russian President Kirill Dmitriev called it “ideal.”
Trump-Putin dialogue in ISW assessment
The American Institute for the Study of War has released its analysis conversations between the American and Russian presidents, where he reached disappointing conclusions for Ukraine: Russia is not interested in good faith peace negotiations. Russian President Vladimir Putin rejected the US and Ukrainian proposal for a temporary ceasefire, putting forward demands that effectively mean Kyiv’s capitulation. He insists on ending mobilization, halting the supply of foreign weapons and intelligence to Ukraine, while silencing the military support Russia receives from China, North Korea and Iran.
In a telephone conversation on March 18, Putin promoted the idea of negotiations between Russia and the United States without the participation of Ukraine or Europe. The result of this conversation was the announcement of a 30-day moratorium on strikes on energy infrastructure, although its exact boundaries remained unclear.
It was also announced the exchange of prisoners – 175 people from each side, as well as the transfer by Russia of 23 seriously wounded Ukrainian soldiers as a “gesture of goodwill”. Separately, Washington and Moscow agreed to begin talks on the security of shipping in the Black Sea and a possible future peace agreement.
At the same time, the Kremlin continues to use the truce issue as a lever of pressure, seeking concessions and delaying negotiations. Putin demands the demilitarization of Ukraine, a change of power in Kyiv and the de facto relinquishment of sovereignty, which shows Russia’s reluctance to engage in honest dialogue.
At the same time, on the front, Russian troops intensified their offensive in the Zaporizhzhia region, especially in the area of Kamiansky, Shcherbaki, and Lobkovo. Moscow aims to force Ukrainian forces to scatter defenses and create conditions for further attacks, using up to 420 FPV drones per day.
According to ISW, the Kremlin is trying to simultaneously exert pressure on the battlefield and in the diplomatic sphere, delaying any settlement on terms favorable to itself.
Europe reacts differently
European leaders reacted with restraint. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz called the cessation of attacks on the energy infrastructure a “good start”, but emphasized that there can be no agreement without Ukraine. Great Britain and the EU continue to work on new packages of military aid to Kyiv.
Boris Johnson has said that Donald Trump has become a victim of manipulation by Vladimir Putin and that the Russian leader openly mocks the West.
The former Prime Minister of Great Britain, who consistently supports Ukraine, emphasized that Putin’s real goal is to establish complete control over Ukraine.
«Quite expectedly, Putin rejected the unconditional ceasefire. He wants to continue bombing and killing peaceful Ukrainians. He seeks the disarmament and neutrality of Ukraine, seeks to make it a vassal of Russia. This is not a negotiation – he is just mocking us“, Johnson wrote in X social networks.
German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius criticized the telephone conversation between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin, calling it a failure.
ZDF-Morgenmagazin airs Pistorius statedthat after this “a loud and supposedly defining conversation» Russian attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure have not stopped. “Putin is playing his game, and I am convinced that the American president will not be able to stay away for long“, he added. According to the minister, sooner or later Trump will have to react in order to preserve the strength and prestige of the United States.
Pistorius emphasized that the exclusion of Europe from the negotiations was a serious mistake, because in the end it will be on European soil that peace will have to be ensured if it can be achieved.
Does Trump always understand Putin’s mockery?
Fiona Gill, a former senior official of the US National Security Council and an expert on Europe and Russia, in an interview for Foreign Affairs spoke about the interaction between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. She noted that Trump was often underprepared for meetings with Putin and focused too much on personal relationships rather than diplomatic strategy. Gill recalled an instance in which Putin used words with hidden meanings during a phone call that were not fully conveyed by the translators, causing Trump not to realize that Putin was actually mocking him.
Gill emphasized that Putin chooses his words carefully, and his true intent can be lost in translation, especially when translators fail to convey nuance or soften the tone. She also noted that Trump often did not conduct a detailed analysis after such conversations, which led to an incomplete understanding of the situation.
Kremlin tactics: what really matters in the conversation between Trump and Putin
To understand what was most important for the Kremlin in the recent conversation between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin, it is worth starting from the end of the official statement. After all, it was there that Moscow placed key accents.
Please note: there was no joint communiqué based on the results of the conversation. This means that each side only released the points it considered most important. The Kremlin, in particular, emphasized three topics:
The joint vote of the USA and Russia at the UN – Moscow is frankly happy that Washington’s position on the resolution on Ukraine is dividing the West. The Kremlin used this moment to show: if the White House begins to act independently of Brussels and London, the West’s unified anti-Russian position will become an illusion.
Economic cooperation – Russia has declared a “mutually beneficial relationship” with the country that imposed the largest package of sanctions on it. It is obvious that this is an attempt to hint at the possibility of new agreements, albeit veiled ones. The Kremlin wants to return to the global economy, even in the face of war.
Hockey – At first glance, this looks like a random addition. But in fact, it is a symbolic image of the “old friendship” between the nations, which evokes in Putin and Trump nostalgic memories of the period of the Cold War, when the rivalry was not accompanied by sanctions and isolation.
The Kremlin’s statement does not just emphasize certain aspects of the conversation – it forms a key message: Russia seeks to once again look like a “normal” state with which it is possible to conduct business, launch joint projects and even seek political compromises.
The wording about “normalization of bilateral relations in light of the special responsibility of Russia and the USA” is particularly revealing. This is not just diplomatic rhetoric, but a desperate attempt by Moscow to return to the world market, achieve the easing of sanctions and find loopholes for economic cooperation.
In effect, the Kremlin is trying to sell the old message: “let’s live in harmony,” while continuing to aggress, violate international law, and destroy the global security system. Moscow sends a signal to Washington: “You are not better than us. So, maybe we’ll spit on the rules together?»
