Putin Has Ripped Off Trump

The self-proclaimed American master negotiator has up to now been unable to deal with Moscow’s delaying tactics, and it is Ukraine which could now pay the price.

It’s understandable that a phone call with Vladimir Putin is not exactly one of the most pleasant things about being a politician. Not only is the Russian leader a war criminal, but he is also a seasoned tactician with 25 years of experience.

However, it is quite surprising that Donald Trump, the self-proclaimed master negotiator (famous for his book “The Art of the Deal”) allowed himself to be ripped off by Putin, as was seen on Mar. 18. The publicly known results of the two-hour phone call between the two heads of state is nothing more than hot air.

There was no sign of the big breakthrough that the U.S. president had previously promised. No concessions from Putin and certainly no ceasefire, which was insisted on by Washington and Kyiv after the successful round of talks with Ukraine in Saudi Arabia.

Instead, Putin is once again playing for time and has successfully slowed down his opponent. Trump was merely able to persuade Putin to refrain from air strikes against the energy infrastructure, but not for long: only for 30 days. Russia could use this time to better protect its own oil infrastructure, which was recently badly damaged.

Ukraine Pays the Price

It’s clear that Putin will demand a high price for his minimal concessions. Not from Trump, but from Ukraine, if the Kremlin gets what it wants. Ukraine, for these 30 days, will receive neither weapons deliveries from the West nor any intelligence information, which Trump had only just recently declassified anyway.

If the American president agrees, then Ukraine will once again pay the price for Trump’s deal. As if to confirm this, a few minutes after the phone call, air raid sirens went off in Kyiv.

After being embarrassed by Putin, Trump later sold the phone call on Truth Social as good and productive: “My phone conversation today with President Putin of Russia was a very good and productive one. We agreed to an immediate Ceasefire on all Energy and Infrastructure, with an understanding that we will be working quickly to have a Complete Ceasefire and, ultimately, an END to this very horrible War between Russia and Ukraine.”

It’s best not to even imagine what a bad and unproductive talk might sound like. “Donald Trump, master negotiator: This number is no longer in service.”