Putin’s calculated move with Trump shows Russia’s edge
Russian President Vladimir Putin has always been a master manipulator, and his latest maneuvering with President Trump underscores just how adept he is at bending situations to his advantage. The recent phone call between the two leaders, ostensibly aimed at finding a pathway to peace in Ukraine, ended up showcasing Putin’s ability to outmaneuver Trump while extracting concessions without giving up anything of substance.
From the outset, Putin set the tone by making Trump wait for more than an hour before taking his call. The delay, during which Putin was engaged in a televised conference with Russian business leaders, was no accident. It was a calculated power play, reinforcing his dominance not just over Trump but also for domestic audiences in Russia.
The event echoed a similar humiliation meted out to Steve Witkoff, Trump’s special envoy, who was reportedly made to wait eight hours before meeting with Putin in Moscow. These theatrics serve a clear purpose: sending the message that Putin is in control, setting the terms of engagement on his own timeline.
Once the conversation did begin, Putin swiftly demonstrated his tactical edge. While Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had reportedly pushed for a full ceasefire, Putin offered only a limited pause on attacks against Ukrainian energy infrastructure — a far cry from what Trump had likely envisioned. Even this half-measure was framed ambiguously, with the Kremlin stating the pause would apply solely to energy infrastructure, while the White House suggested it encompassed broader infrastructure.
Given Russia’s track record of interpreting agreements to suit its interests, there’s little doubt that Moscow will stick to its narrow interpretation. More plausibly, Putin crafted the offer himself, knowing it was the least costly concession he could make while keeping Trump engaged. This shrewdly constructed “compromise” allowed Putin to appear cooperative while ensuring Russia retained the ability to continue its broader military operations in Ukraine, where it maintains an upper hand due to Ukrainian manpower shortages and Trump’s hesitations on military aid.
Despite mounting casualties and immense economic strain, Russia has remained relentless in its pursuit of territorial gains. Putin’s refusal to agree to a comprehensive ceasefire ensures that his forces can maintain their offensive, consolidating positions in eastern Ukraine and continuing to batter Ukrainian cities and infrastructure.
This approach has already lead to tens of thousands of Ukrainian civilians killed or injured and an estimated half a trillion dollars in damage. Meanwhile, Ukraine has achieved notable successes in striking Russian energy infrastructure, directly threatening one of the Kremlin’s key revenue streams for financing the war. Yet, even with these setbacks, Putin remains confident in his long-term position, particularly with Trump’s rhetoric signaling a shift in U.S. policy.
What makes this situation even more advantageous for Putin is Trump’s apparent willingness to entertain concessions that weaken Ukraine’s position. The Kremlin’s statement after the call emphasized that progress toward peace would require an end to Western military aid and intelligence support to Ukraine. Trump has already signaled his willingness to slow arms shipments and curtail intelligence sharing — a move that directly aligns with Russian interests.
By dangling the possibility of a ceasefire, Putin can keep Trump engaged while extracting further U.S. retreats, knowing that any reduction in Western assistance only strengthens Russia’s leverage in the conflict. Trump’s approach has already given Putin a series of victories. One, he has opened direct negotiations with Russia without Ukraine’s presence, undermining Kyiv’s agency in its own war.
Two, he has practically dashed all hopes of the future NATO membership for Ukraine, weakening its long-term security prospects.
And three, in blatant defiance of international law, by floating the idea that Ukraine should cede territory to Russia, Putin has changed the whole complexion of the equation.
For Putin, these are not minor wins — they are major steps toward achieving his war objectives without having to make significant concessions. His ultimate goal remains unchanged: to reassert Russian dominance over Ukraine, dictate its foreign policy and solidify control over the regions Moscow has illegally annexed.
That these regions are now being formally integrated into Russia through legal instruments underscores the Kremlin’s intention to make these territorial seizures permanent. Even as he extends these negotiations, Putin likely sees an opportunity to buy time, consolidate his gains, and eventually present a “peace” framework that cements Russia’s territorial expansions while offering Trump a political win to sell domestically.
With Trump in the White House, Putin may find in him a leader willing to further reduce U.S. pressure on Russia, lift sanctions and even restore economic ties — all of which would benefit Moscow while leaving Ukraine in a precarious position.
Meanwhile, as expected, Zelensky’s response to the Trump-Putin call has been measured. Zelensky, aware of Trump’s unpredictable nature and still reeling from his face-to-face encounter with Trump at the Oval Office, cautiously welcomed the limited ceasefire on energy infrastructure while making it clear that Ukraine’s bottom-line demands remain non-negotiable and Kyiv retains the right to determine its own alliances and military partnerships.
For Ukraine, any discussion of freezing the conflict along current battle lines is untenable unless Russia reverses its annexations and allows international oversight to ensure compliance with international law. Without such guarantees, any ceasefire risks becoming a de facto recognition of Russia’s illegal territorial gains. But the situation seems to be slipping out of hands of Zelensky and he appears to be more weak with each passing day.
Putin’s strategic patience continues to pay dividends. By exploiting Trump’s transactional approach to diplomacy, he has maneuvered himself into a position where he can dictate the terms of engagement while extracting concessions from the U.S. If Trump sees his limited agreement with Putin as a diplomatic success, it only reinforces the Kremlin’s belief that it can extract even more favorable terms down the line.
The reality is that Putin has no genuine interest in peace — at least not on terms that involve returning Ukrainian land or restoring the post-2014 status quo. With Trump now offering him an opening, Putin is seizing the moment, playing the long game, and shaping a narrative that keeps the West divided and Ukraine vulnerable.
As the war drags on, the question remains: will the U.S. recognize Putin’s manipulation for what it is, or will it allow him to continue dictating the terms of engagement? If history is any indication, the Kremlin is betting on the latter — and so far, it has been right.
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Putin and Trump may have spoken more than twice, Kremlin says
Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump may have had more contacts than the two publicly announced telephone calls over recent months, the Kremlin said in video footage published by state television on Sunday.
Trump, who says he wants to be remembered as a peacemaker, has repeatedly said that he wants the three-year conflict in Ukraine to end and has warned of the risks of it escalating into a world war between the United States and Russia.
There have so far been two announced phone calls between Putin and Trump this year - on Feb. 12 and on March 18 - though there has been speculation about much more frequent contact, and also reports that they spoke before Trump was elected last year.
When asked by the most prominent Kremlin correspondent for state television about remarks by Trump that indicated there may have been more than two calls, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said information had been released about those calls he knew of.
"Listen, we inform you about the conversations that we are aware of. But we can't rule out everything else," Peskov said.
State television's Pavel Zarubin then asked: "So all sorts of nuances are possible as they say?" to which Peskov replied: "Well, that is how I would answer your question."
The contacts between Trump and Putin have spooked European leaders who fear the United States could be turning its back on Europe in the hope of striking a peace deal with Russia as part of some broader grand bargain encompassing oil prices, the Middle East and competition with China.
Trump told the Washington Examiner that he had been speaking to the Russian leader for weeks.
Before the contacts with Trump, Putin last spoke to a sitting U.S. president in February 2022, when he and Joe Biden spoke shortly before the Russian leader ordered tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine.
Washington Post journalist Bob Woodward in his 2024 book "War" reported that Trump had direct conversations as many as seven times with Putin after he left the White House in 2021.
Asked if that were true in an interview to Bloomberg last year, Trump said: "If I did, it's a smart thing." The Kremlin denied Woodward's report.
Reuters, The Washington Post and Axios reported separately that Trump and Putin spoke in early November. The Kremlin also denied those reports.
ENERGY ATTACKS
Putin and Trump may have another phone call if Ukraine continues strikes on Russian energy infrastructure, Peskov said.
Putin agreed to the suspension of such attacks in a phone call with Trump last week. Kyiv, which has said it would be willing to take part in such a partial ceasefire if a document setting out its terms is agreed, has accused Russia of not abiding by Putin's order, something Moscow denies.
"While the Russian side has been sticking to its word for several days now, the word that the president gave, and to the president's command, which immediately came into force and was immediately implemented, and is still being implemented, the same cannot be said of the Kyiv regime", Peskov said.
Russia and Ukraine accused each other on Friday of blowing up a Russian gas pumping station in a border area where Ukrainian troops have been retreating. Russia said on Saturday it reserves the right to a "symmetrical response" to Ukrainian attacks on Russian energy facilities.
Asked if Ukraine's violation of the agreement may become a reason for another Putin-Trump call, Peskov said: "Absolutely. The presidents confirmed their intention to continue contacts as necessary."
In another clip released on Zarubin's Telegram channel earlier on Sunday, Peskov said the latest phone call between Putin and Trump was "a step towards a face-to-face meeting", adding that Russia-U.S. talks in Riyadh scheduled for Monday would also be such a step, Interfax news agency reported.
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Trump Says Efforts to Contain War in Ukraine ‘Under Control’
US President Donald Trump said efforts to stop the war between Russia and Ukraine from escalating further are “under control.”
Trump cited his “good” relationships with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy as key to negotiating an end to the war. He was speaking in an interview with Outkick, a website that combines sports talk with conservative politics and which is owned by Fox Corp.
“It would be a great thing to be able to stop it,” Trump said in the interview aboard Air Force One on Saturday. “I will say this, nobody else would have been able to. Nobody. Zero.”
Trump and Putin spoke in a call on March 18 where the Russian leader said he’d be willing to limit attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure as a first step but didn’t agree to the full ceasefire that the US was pushing. A day later, Zelenskiy agreed in a call with Trump to a proposal for a mutual halt to strikes on energy assets.
Trump said he knows Putin “very well.”
Putin “didn’t invade anything when I was president. He took Crimea, and he took Georgia, when Bush was president, when Obama was president, and he’s trying to take the whole thing,” Trump said. “I don’t think there’s anybody in the world that could’ve stopped him except me, and I think, I hope I’m going to be able to stop him.”
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