In a high stakes, two-hour phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin, US President Donald Trump sided with Russia in the Ukraine war. He dropped his own initiative for a 30-day ceasefire. Instead, he supported Putin’s call for immediate direct negotiations between Russia and Ukraine. The phone call took place on Monday. By making this action, Trump granted Russia yet another big diplomatic victory.
This US reversal followed when Ukraine and Europe wanted Washington to press Moscow. Trump’s move was a dramatic change of tone and direction. He said the United States might withdraw from mediation altogether in the near future. He even suggested that the Vatican could be a third-party location for negotiations.
Trump Rejects Western Calls for Ceasefire
Prior to the phone call, European leaders and Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy asked Vladimir Putin to consent to an American-backed ceasefire. Trump disregarded their request. Instead, he supported Putin’s long-held stance of direct talks. It favors Russia since direct talks tend to protract and exhaust Ukraine’s allies.
Putin answered that he was still willing to write a peace memo. But he insisted that “root causes” be satisfied. Those include recognizing annexed Ukrainian land, the removal of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, restrictions on Ukraine’s military, and prohibition against joining NATO. Trump did not protest any of these terms.
Putin’s Maximalist Demands Go Unchallenged
Trump has offered three ceasefire proposals so far. President Putin rebuffed them all. With each attempt, the Kremlin held firm to its draconian terms. These include cultural domination of Ukraine and irrevocable Russian control in the region. Trump is now ready to accept or reject them.
US President Trump acknowledged that re-establishing relations with Russia matters more to him than stopping the war. He even made future American trade a bargaining chip. “Russia wants to do massive trade with the United States when this horror show is completed,” Trump said.
Trump Signals US Exit from Mediation Role
Trump indicated that he might walk away from mediation. He suggested the Vatican might step in. This move would officially conclude Washington’s erstwhile shuttle diplomacy. It would leave Ukraine to negotiate Russia alone at the table.
Putin put it succinctly. “I think something’s going to happen and if it doesn’t, I just back away and they’re going to have to keep going.”
Trump’s summons delivered a message: US pressure against Russia is off. His priority is resetting relations, not defending Ukraine’s sovereignty. That choice could remake the future of the war—and of global alignments.
