U.S. President Donald Trump informed European leaders that Russian President Vladimir Putin is not inclined to conclude his military actions in Ukraine, believing instead that he is achieving success, according to a report from The Wall Street Journal on Thursday, which cited three individuals familiar with the discussion.
This insight was shared during a call with European officials following Trump’s earlier conversation with Putin on Monday.
This represents a significant shift for Trump, who has often claimed that he thought his Russian counterpart was earnestly seeking peace and had pressured Ukraine into making substantial compromises, including giving up its aspirations to join NATO, as a means to resolve the conflict.
However, this newfound understanding does not seem to have prompted Trump to escalate U.S. pressure on Russia. Despite previously indicating to European leaders that he would support imposing new sanctions on Russia if Putin refused to agree to a ceasefire during his Monday call, Trump ultimately chose not to take that route.
Publicly, Trump expressed that the “tone and spirit of the conversation [with Putin] were excellent.”
As reported by The New York Times, after his discussion with Putin, Trump conveyed to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and other European leaders that they would need to find a resolution to the conflict independently.
The Vatican is anticipated to facilitate the upcoming round of peace negotiations between Russia and Ukraine in mid-June.
On Sunday, Trump mentioned to European leaders that he would send Secretary of State Marco Rubio and special envoy Keith Kellogg to participate in the discussions, although he seemed to be vague about the U.S. involvement in the negotiations, according to The Wall Street Journal.
Upon assuming office in January, Trump had promised to swiftly mediate a resolution to Russia’s prolonged invasion of Ukraine, which has now lasted over three years. However, he has increasingly expressed frustration in recent months as efforts for shuttle diplomacy between Moscow and Kyiv have not yielded significant breakthroughs.
Russia and Ukraine conducted their first face-to-face discussions in three years on May 16 in Istanbul, but the meeting ended without notable advancements toward peace.
During these talks, the Russian delegation, led by Kremlin aide Vladimir Medinsky, reportedly insisted that Ukraine fully surrender the four regions that Moscow claims as its own, although it does not have full control over them. The Russian negotiators threatened to take additional Ukrainian territories if their demands were not satisfied.
