Trump and Putin talks yield little progress on Ukraine peace
Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin have agreed that efforts for peace in Ukraine will begin with the suspension of attacks on energy facilities and infrastructure, as well as negotiations in the Middle East regarding further steps, announced the White House. The Kremlin also issued its own statement. A flurry of comments immediately appeared online.
President Donald Trump spoke with Russian leader Vladimir Putin on Tuesday. The conversation concerned the conflict in Ukraine, which Russia instigated, and US-Russia relations.
"Not a single concession from Russia"
Just after the statements were released, a wave of comments flooded the internet.
"Much ado about nothing," assessed Andrzej Kohut, commenting on the White House statement. "The only surprise is the information about potential hockey games between NHL teams and the Russian league," added the Centre for Eastern Studies analyst. (info from the Kremlin's statement)
"It seems that the full ceasefire for 30 days agreed upon by the US and Ukraine was rejected by Putin," notes Marek Wałkuski, correspondent at the White House.
"Russia and Ukraine negotiated the halt of attacks on energy infrastructure long before Trump’s victory in the presidential election. So after more than two hours of talks between Trump and Putin, there is not a single concession from Russia," assesses Daniel Szeligowski from the Polish Institute of International Affairs.
Sam Greene stated that one cannot speak of a breakthrough after this conversation. "This is a delay tactic, aimed at keeping Trump at the table and putting pressure on Kyiv," writes the sociologist.
"Putin made a gesture that doesn't cost him much. The Russians can still advance. They can still attack from the air if it's not power plants. It seems that Trump did not particularly press Russia against the wall," stated Artur Bartkiewicz.
"This falls far short of the total & unconditional ceasefire that Trump wanted, and Ukraine agreed to. Putin clearly got the better of Trump in their negotiation," assessed Colby Badhwar.
According to Oskar Górzyński, the Kremlin's crucial statement suggests that it will not agree to a real ceasefire.
