Momentum shift
Vladimir Putin on Wednesday achieved his most significant diplomatic breakthrough yet in a three-year war that, at times, seemed to threaten his regime. During a 90-minute call with Donald Trump, Putin felt his long-sought vision taking shape: two great powers determining Ukraine’s fate over Kyiv’s head – and that of its European allies. “A direct call with Trump was precisely what Putin had been waiting for,” said a source in the Russian foreign policy establishment. “It is only the start of the negotiations, but Putin has won the first round,” the source added.
Despite catastrophic setbacks at the start of his invasion, record losses, and mounting economic strain, the Russian president will feel that momentum has firmly shifted in his favour, with growing hopes in Moscow that the Trump administration could help achieve Russia’s objectives in Ukraine. “Putin remained patient and didn’t bend. Instead, he waited for the world to change around him,” the foreign policy source said, referring to Trump’s election and his administration’s radically different foreign policy outlook.
The call between the two leaders took place just hours after US defence secretary Pete Hegseth told officials in Brussels that Ukraine would need to abandon its ambitions of joining Nato and accept territorial losses, in effect conceding to some of Russia’s demands even before negotiations began.
Source: Pjotr Sauer/The Guardian
