n a recent phone call with Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin furthered his strategic ambitions, edging closer to repairing Russia’s relations with the U.S. while driving a wedge between Washington and Europe. However, analysts note that he offered minimal concessions regarding Trump’s efforts to broker peace in Ukraine.
Ahead of the Tuesday conversation, the U.S. had proposed a 30-day ceasefire as a preliminary step toward a broader peace agreement, with Ukraine in principle agreeing to the plan. Instead, Putin consented only to a narrow ceasefire focusing solely on halting attacks on energy infrastructure for a month.
Though the White House hailed the agreement as a significant step forward, marking the first time in over three years of conflict that both sides agreed to scale back hostilities, it remains limited. The ceasefire applies only to energy strikes and extends to the Black Sea, where discussions on a maritime ceasefire will also proceed. These measures would curtail Ukraine’s ability to target Russia’s oil infrastructure, a crucial funding source for the war, as well as constrain its naval operations.
Despite this, Russia continues its military offensive on land, particularly in the western Kursk region, where it is pushing to expel Ukrainian forces that had seized Russian territory during a surprise incursion last August. Putin reiterated Russia’s conditions for a broader ceasefire, stipulating that it must not allow Ukraine to resupply its military or mobilize additional forces. Ukraine has firmly rejected these terms.
Nigel Gould-Davies, a Russia expert at the International Institute for Strategic Studies in London, argued that Putin’s agreement to a limited ceasefire effectively undermines the prospect of a wider truce. “It’s a ‘no’ by another name,” he said, noting that Putin has laid down conditions that Ukraine and the U.S. are unlikely to accept.
Despite this, Trump’s aides framed the phone call as a success, viewing it as an essential step toward a potential ceasefire. “Until recently, we didn’t have consensus on these two aspects—the energy and infrastructure ceasefire and the Black Sea moratorium,” said Steve Witkoff, Trump’s envoy. “Today, we got to that place, and I think we’re not far from a full ceasefire.”
However, Andrei Kozyrev, a former Russian foreign minister and pro-Western figure, dismissed Trump’s success, stating that Putin had nothing to give. “Putin is determined to keep the war going, and Trump is being led along,” he said.
While Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky expressed readiness to support a moratorium on energy strikes, both sides quickly accused each other of resuming attacks. Even if a limited ceasefire holds, analysts caution that it would not represent a meaningful concession by Putin. Halting strikes on Ukraine’s energy grid would offer Russia relief from damaging drone attacks targeting its oil refineries, which have significantly undermined its refining capacity.
Kozyrev suggested that the ceasefire’s vague terms amounted to little more than a strategic maneuver by Putin to maintain leverage. “This selective ceasefire is far from what Trump had demanded—a comprehensive halt to hostilities,” he said.
The Kremlin’s official readout of the call highlighted that the two leaders agreed to continue bilateral efforts to end the war, a diplomatic approach that has raised concerns among Ukraine and its European allies. They fear that Trump may seek a deal with Putin that excludes them, leaving them vulnerable in the long term.
Putin’s goal appears to be to elevate Russia to an equal footing with the U.S. in global diplomacy, seeking to reverse years of isolation and sanctions. Political analyst Tatiana Stanovaya noted that the Russian president is working to sideline the Ukrainian conflict from direct U.S.-Russia relations, furthering his broader diplomatic agenda.
Gould-Davies added that Putin is using this engagement with the U.S. to drive a wedge between Washington and its NATO allies, potentially forcing Europe to act alone to strengthen its own defenses while attempting to limit the decoupling from the U.S.
In sum, while Putin’s calculated moves continue to chip away at U.S.-European unity, his offers toward Trump remain cautiously limited and strategically self-serving.

=TDG NETWORK

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