By Brendan Scanland
WASHINGTON, D.C. — On Tuesday, a high-stakes call between President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin could determine the fate of a ceasefire agreement between Russia and Ukraine.
This is not the first time Trump and Putin have discussed the war one-on-one. It does however come just a few weeks after U.S. officials, including Secretary Marco Rubio, met face-to-face with their Russian counterparts for the first time since the war broke out over three years ago.
“From the standpoint about a ceasefire and ultimately a deal, some pretty good vibes coming out of Russia,” said President Trump last week.
With Ukraine on board with a proposed 30-day ceasefire agreement, President Trump is optimistic Russia will agree too, as he prepares for the call with Putin on Tuesday.
“A lot of work’s been done over the weekend. We want to see if we can bring that war to end. Maybe we can, maybe we can’t. But I think we have a very good chance,” said Trump on Sunday.
Moscow is reportedly on board with the proposal “in theory,” but Putin is seeking tough conditions and concessions from Ukraine. Negotiators have reportedly discussed “dividing up certain assets” between Russia and Ukraine.
“That has been part of the discussion between the President’s team and the Ukrainians. As for where those lines will be drawn or any specifics, I am not going to get into that from this podium,” said White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt during a press briefing Monday afternoon.
Experts say the stakes are especially high for Tuesday’s chat between the two world leaders.
“The stakes are higher now because they have sort of an idea of where they want to go. We know what concerns Vladimir Putin has with the peace deal that was offered to him. They’re going to talk more about territory and power plants and the like,” said Dr. Todd Belt, professor and director of the Political Management Master’s Program at the George Washington University. “But we’re getting into the details and things always get sticky when it comes to the details rather than just grand principles.”
Belt believes President Trump sees himself as the “deal maker” and is eager to negotiate peace.
“Donald Trump sees himself as the peacemaker and he likes to work one-on-one and bring deals to individuals. He doesn’t like to be a moderator and have two principles in the room where he is sort of the third party there. He likes to be the key player,” said Belt.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has accused Russia of stalling the peace talks in an effort to prolong the war. It comes as European leaders express dissatisfaction with Putin’s response to the ceasefire.
“We will keep increasing the pressure on Russia, keep the military aid flowing to Ukraine, and keep tightening restrictions on Russia’s economy to weaken Putin’s war machine and bring him to the table,” said UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Saturday.
