Trump-Putin’s call regarded as a victory in Russia

Judging by some of the titles today in Russia, Moscow believes that the last telephone conversation between Presidents Putin and Trump went well – for sure for the Kremlin.

“Putin and Trump have agreed to work together on the resolution of Ukraine,” notes concludes.

“A record long call,” Komsomolskaya Pravda said. The newspaper’s website adds: “Because things Russia have achieved a diplomatic victory here.”

Why do some in Russia claim a “win” then a two -hour phone call?

Probably because by the end of it, Vladimir Putin was not pressured to make big discounts in Ukraine or in the United States. On the contrary, he actually rejected President Trump’s idea of ​​an immediate unconditionally 30 -day cessation of fire.

Instead of squeezing Moscow with the threat of even more rigorous sanctions and penalties to make Russia register with its plan, the US administration reacts by praising the Kremlin leader.

“We had a great call,” Donald Trump told Fox News.

“I would praise President Putin for everything he did today with this call to move his country near a final peace deal,” said Trump’s envoy Steve Vikof.

Not only Moscow did not agree to the unconditional cessation of the fire, President Putin has set his own prerequisite for peace.

They include the end of Western military assistance for the sharing of Kiev and intelligence with Ukrainians, as well as stopping mobilization in Ukraine. Such conditions are widely regarded as a way of ensuring the capitulation of Ukraine.

It is difficult to see that Kyiv agrees with something.

But can the Trump administration eventually be convinced by Moscow that such conditions are acceptable? And if so, Washington will force Ukraine to accept them?

A lot can depend on whether the Kremlin can convince President Trump that he has more to win the development of good relationships with Moscow than by protecting the angle of Ukraine.

It is as if, in order to squeeze home, in their conversations with Americans, Russian officials are already hanging different economic and financial carrots and talking about how much mutually beneficial Russia and the US relations can be if the two countries can recharge with bilateral relations and start working on joint projects.

Vladimir Putin has recently raised the prospect of cooperation between the US-Russian in the production of aluminum and the extraction of rare minerals.

The message seems to be going through.

“We would like to have more trade with Russia,” Donald Trump said on Tuesday in an interview with Fox News.

“They have some very valuable things for us, including rare land. They have a large part of real estate, the largest in the world. They have things we could use.”

Moscow can hope – a possible calculation – that Donald Trump will give priority to the receipt of part of this “Russian real estate” to ensure an acceptable transaction for Ukraine to end the war.

This is a point sounded today by Pro-Kremlin Izvestiia:

“The logic of Moscow is to make economic relations with America so profitable that you would separate them would be too expensive for the United States.”

After a week ago Ukraine agreed to an unconditional termination of fire, the US administration publicly announced that “the ball is in the (Russian) court.”

Now that Vladimir Putin has rejected the deal and set his own conditions, the Kremlin leader hit him back to the “court” of America.

But Russia and America will continue their discussions – both in Ukraine and in American -Russian ties.

And it is these negotiations that will probably affect Donald Trump’s next move.