President Donald Trump boasted that a single two-hour phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin had cracked the code to ending the war in Ukraine.
He told followers on Truth Social the discussion was “excellent” and claimed, without evidence, that it launched fresh negotiations between Moscow and Kyiv.
Yet the outcome offered no tangible concessions from the Kremlin and appeared to hand Putin more time to press his offensive.
Experts Doubt the ‘Master Dealmaker’
Max Boot of the Council on Foreign Relations wrote in The Washington Post that Trump “keeps violating the prime rule of successful negotiating: You must apply leverage.”
“Putin is playing him for a fool, and Trump doesn’t even seem to realize it,” Boot added.
Foreign-policy analysts noted that Trump’s approach mirrored earlier interactions in which he praised autocrats while securing little in return.
Proposal for Immediate Cease-Fire Rejected
Behind Trump’s celebratory rhetoric lay a blunt Kremlin rebuff of a U.S.-backed plan for an immediate 30-day halt to hostilities.
Ukraine and its allies had already signaled support for the pause, but Putin refused, insisting that only Russia and Ukraine could set the terms.
“Russia and Ukraine will immediately start negotiations toward a Ceasefire and, more importantly, an END to the War,” Trump posted, assuring readers the details were best left to the two combatants.
Putin Dictates the Tempo
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov reinforced Moscow’s leisurely timeline, stating “there are no deadlines and there cannot be any” for concluding a peace memorandum.
“It is clear that everyone wants to do this as quickly as possible, but, of course, the devil is in the details,” Peskov remarked.
Hours later, Russia launched its largest drone barrage since the full-scale invasion began in February 2022, underscoring how little the call altered battlefield realities.
Istanbul Talks Falter
Trump urged Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to accept Putin’s suggestion of direct talks in Istanbul, a venue the Russian leader ultimately skipped.
Putin dispatched a low-level delegation that met Ukrainian negotiators but produced only minor procedural agreements.
The absence of senior Russian officials left Zelenskyy’s single precondition unmet and signaled that Moscow had little interest in early compromise.
Mixed Signals from Washington
Vice President JD Vance echoed Trump’s claim that the United States could “just walk away,” warning that Washington would not “spin its wheels” if progress stalled.
Analysts argued that such comments weakened Ukrainian leverage by casting doubt on long-term U.S. engagement.
Beth Sanner, a former deputy director of national intelligence, told CNN “it’s really hard to see this [phone call] in any other way than Putin seemed to get exactly what he wanted.”
Europe Tightens the Screws
While Trump kept the U.S. on the sidelines, European governments advanced a new round of sanctions aimed at nudging Russia toward a cease-fire.
Zelenskyy praised the EU’s package as “strong” but stressed that American participation remained essential.
“The European package will be there, and it will be strong,” Zelenskyy said.
“As for the United States package, that is a different story. Here, we all need to work hard with the United States of America so that at some point, when they are able to, they will impose appropriate sanctions.”
‘Chance of Making It Worse’
Facing questions about why he had not endorsed fresh penalties on Moscow, Trump told reporters, “I think there’s a chance of getting something done, and if you do that, you can also make it much worse.”
He offered no specifics on how delaying sanctions might accelerate peace, instead reiterating faith in his personal rapport with Putin.
Ian Bremmer of Eurasia Group summarized the call’s results as “a veeeeery long way to say ‘no concessions on that phone call.’”
Clock Still Ticking
For now, Putin retains the initiative, Ukrainian cities endure nightly drone strikes, and the prospect of meaningful talks appears as distant as ever.
Trump’s much-touted “one phone call” diplomacy may have succeeded only in buying the Kremlin more time, leaving Ukraine, Europe, and the United States to pick up the pieces of a war that shows no sign of stopping.