Putin plays the long game as Trump's ceasefire hopes fade
Spanish media commented on the results of Tuesday's phone conversation between the presidents of the USA and Russia, Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin, emphasising its limited effects. According to them, Putin is using an old Soviet negotiation playbook, accepting only what suits him.
Madrid's daily "ABC" noted that "Trump's ambitious plans for an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine are slipping out of his control." The newspaper highlighted that the proposed ceasefire would be even more limited than the one Ukraine previously agreed to.
"El Pais" assessed that the conversation did not bring significant solutions, despite the enthusiastic declarations of the US president. According to the newspaper, the meeting revealed a "lack of flexibility" on the part of the Russian leader.
The newspaper predicts that peace negotiations in Ukraine are likely to be thwarted by the Kremlin's excessive demands, with Putin attempting to blame the authorities in Kyiv.
The daily "El Mundo" wrote that "Putin, following the old Soviet negotiation playbook, delays deadlines and accepts only the kind of truce that suits him best." According to the newspaper, despite official statements from both sides, the Russian leader effectively once again rejected the ceasefire proposal negotiated in Saudi Arabia by representatives of the USA and Ukraine.
Putin's talks with Trump. Spaniards have no doubts
"El Mundo" assesses Tuesday's conversation as a Russian "trick" aimed at buying time. "Russia maintains its maximalist demands", the newspaper notes, adding that the Kremlin is in fact demanding Ukraine's capitulation.
According to the newspaper, a pause in the shelling of energy infrastructure is also beneficial for Moscow in the face of Ukrainian attacks on targets deep in Russia.
Now all the Russian autocrat has to do is play for time, which is the basis of the old Soviet negotiation playbook, so that Trump gets tired and pressures Ukraine to accept anything, or again halts military aid to Kyiv," "El Mundo" writes.
The newspaper adds that "this goal – irritating the USA and breaking Washington's ties with Ukraine – would be another great victory for the Kremlin.
