There was always going to be a phone contact between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump, reports RTE.
However, Mr. Trump’s account of the discussion from yesterday has reinforced Ukraine’s worst fears.
The truth isn’t sugarcoated.
The US-Russian relationship has been completely upended by the US leader’s phone call, and Kyiv appears to be excluded from the primary discussion on how to stop the war, reports RTE.
No trace of the Biden administration’s denunciation of Russia’s unlawful campaign of aggression remains.
Rather, Mr. Trump’s remarks saw Mr. Putin as a buddy and business partner.
The two presidents also spoke about travelling to one other’s nations, reports RTE.
It doesn’t seem completely unthinkable now to imagine Mr. Trump and Mr. Putin walking through the White House rose garden during the course of the next four years.
How the US president and his administration plan to conduct peace negotiations to end the conflict is also evident from the order of his phone conversations yesterday, reports RTE.
In an indication that the United States will be giving Russia’s tough demands greater consideration in return for halting its attack, he initially phoned Mr. Putin rather than Volodymyr Zelensky, the president of Ukraine.
Mr. Trump had to explain the call’s contents to Mr. Zelensky.
Speaking in Brussels earlier yesterday, US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth outlined the Trump administration’s stance on Ukraine, reports RTE.
A “sovereign and prosperous Ukraine” is what the United States wants, he added, and the nation needs security assurances.
However, Kyiv’s good news ended there.
Then, Mr. Hegseth made three profound declarations: First, it is not feasible to return to Ukraine’s pre-2014 boundaries, reports RTE.
Second, it is also unrealistic for Ukraine to join NATO.
Third, the United States will not send any peacekeeping forces to Ukraine in order to preserve a post-conflict agreement.
The United States is doing all the talking but intends to do very little of the actual work once the weapons stop firing, reports RTE.
The White House made it plain in this statement that Europe must send its forces on the ground in order to ensure post-war peace.
At the absolute least, tens of thousands of troops will be needed to patrol a 1,300 kilometre demilitarised frontier, reports RTE.
However, a deal to capture Ukrainian resources valued at an estimated $500 billion is of interest to President Trump.
Yesterday, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent visited Kyiv to examine an early draft of the possible agreement with Mr. Zelensky and how it would specifically help to ensure Ukrainian security, reports RTE.
At the Munich Security Conference, an annual gathering of world leaders to address global military issues, Mr. Zelensky will meet US Vice President JD Vance tomorrow.
The conflict in Ukraine will undoubtedly take the stage during this year’s festival.
Keith Kellogg, the US Special Envoy for Ukraine and Russia, is also scheduled to attend and is anticipated to speak with European allies on the specifics of the proposed US peace plan for Ukraine, reports RTE.
Mr. Putin will have been satisfied with yesterday’s events. In short, Russia is getting what it wants.
Two of these were cited in Mr. Hegseth’s statement: Ukraine cannot join NATO and its pre-2014 borders cannot be reclaimed, reports RTE.
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