Talk about a quick Trump pivot. Less than 24 hours after his disastrous press conference with Jordan’s King Abdullah, Trump was back on top getting accolades and taking a victory lap . . . he chatted with Vladimir Putin for 90 minutes. This was not their first conversation in the last week, but it was the most consequential one.
First, take a look at the Russian readout of Putin/Trump phone call:
The heads of state discussed issues related to the exchange of citizens of Russia and the United States. The President of the United States assured that the American side will fulfill everything Agreements reached.
The settlement in Ukraine was also discussed. Donald Trump called for the speedy suspension of hostilities and the solution of the problem by peaceful funds. Vladimir Putin, for his part, mentioned the need to the root causes of the conflict and agreed with Donald Trump that A long-term settlement can be achieved through peace negotiations.
The President of Russia also supported one of the main theses of the head the U.S. state that it is time for our countries to worked together.
During the conversation, the topics of the Middle East settlement were touched upon, Iran’s nuclear program, as well as bilateral Russian-American relations in the field of economy.
The President of Russia invited the President of the United States to visit Moscow and expressed readiness to accept in Russia American officials in those areas works that are of mutual interest, including the topic of Ukrainian settlement.
Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump agreed to continue personal contacts the number of personal meetings.
Here is Donald Trump’s account of the conversation:
@realDonaldTrump
I just had a lengthy and highly productive phone call with President Vladimir Putin of Russia. We discussed Ukraine, the Middle East, Energy, Artificial Intelligence, the power of the Dollar, and various other subjects. We both reflected on the Great History of our Nations, and the fact that we fought so successfully together in World War II, remembering, that Russia lost tens of millions of people, and we, likewise, lost so many! We each talked about the strengths of our respective Nations, and the great benefit that we will someday have in working together. But first, as we both agreed, we want to stop the millions of deaths taking place in the War with Russia/Ukraine. President Putin even used my very strong Campaign motto of, “COMMON SENSE.” We both believe very strongly in it. We agreed to work together, very closely, including visiting each other’s Nations. We have also agreed to have our respective teams start negotiations immediately, and we will begin by calling President Zelenskyy, of Ukraine, to inform him of the conversation, something which I will be doing right now.
I have asked Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Director of the CIA John Ratcliffe, National Security Advisor Michael Waltz, and Ambassador and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, to lead the negotiations which, I feel strongly, will be successful. Millions of people have died in a War that would not have happened if I were President, but it did happen, so it must end. No more lives should be lost! I want to thank President Putin for his time and effort with respect to this call, and for the release, yesterday, of Marc Fogel, a wonderful man that I personally greeted last night at the White House. I believe this effort will lead to a successful conclusion, hopefully soon!
Notice whose name is missing from the list of US negotiators? That is General Keith Kellogg. Kellogg was slated to present Trump’s peace plan for Ukraine next week at the Munich Conference. It appears that Kellogg’s services are no longer required. He may have been pushed out because of news this week that his daughter heads up an NGO charitable organization that, among other tasks, transported wounded mercenaries fighting for Ukraine from the battlefield. I wonder if her group was a CIA front or something profiting from USAID dough. Perhaps we’ll find out in the coming days.
As a consequence of his negotiations with Putin, Trump used Secretary of Defense Hegseth to deliver some really bad news to Ukraine and to NATO. Hegseth, in his speech to the NATO Defense Ministerial meeting in Brussels, made the following points:
We want, like you, a sovereign and prosperous Ukraine. But we must start by recognizing that returning to Ukraine’s pre-2014 borders is an unrealistic objective.
Chasing this illusionary goal will only prolong the war and cause more suffering.
A durable peace for Ukraine must include robust security guarantees to ensure that the war will not begin again.
This must not be Minsk 3.0.
That said, the United States does not believe that NATO membership for Ukraine is a realistic outcome of a negotiated settlement.
Instead any security guarantee must be backed by capable European and non-European troops.
If these troops are deployed as peacekeepers to Ukraine at any point, they should be deployed as part of a non-NATO mission. And they should not covered under Article 5. There also must be robust international oversight of the line of contact.
To be clear, as part of any security guarantee, there will not be U.S. troops deployed to Ukraine. . . .
Safeguarding European security must be an imperative for European members of NATO. As part of this Europe must provide the overwhelming share of future lethal and nonlethal aid to Ukraine.
To review:
1) No NATO membership for Ukraine.
2) Europe, not NATO nor the US, must take the lead in providing for Ukraine’s security.
3) Any deployment of European troops to Ukraine will not be covered by Article 5 and will not be considered a NATO operation.
4) No US troops on the ground.
5) The Europeans must take the lead in supplying lethal and nonlethal aid to Ukraine.
This went over like a joke about a plane crash at a funeral for someone who died in a plane crash — i.e., not well received.
If you’ve been following remarks in the preceding months by Putin, Lavrov, Rybakov and other Russian leaders, the points made by Hegseth are consistent with Russian demands. While many in the US believe that Putin has backed down and that Trump is in control, the reality is otherwise. Russia is not going to concede any territory and Russia is not going to accept a ceasefire. Putin and his negotiators are focused on the root causes, i.e., NATO expansion and Western subversion, and securing a long-term security arrangement.
NATO got a Trump gut punch today. Their worst nightmares were realized — i.e., Trump will cut a deal with Putin and Europe will be on the sideline. As for Zelensky and Ukraine, the Biden promise — as long as it takes — is moot. The party is over. No more billions of US tax dollars flowing to Kiev.
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