Zelensky’s Attempt to Get Trump on His Side Falls Flat
Ukraine’s leader has agreed to almost everything President Trump wants but Trump has put no pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Zelensky agreed to an unconditional cease-fire proposed by the U.S. leader, signed up to a minerals deal that the White House had pushed as a condition for further support and flew to Turkey for talks called for by Russian President Vladimir Putin—all while gently urging Trump to pressure Russia to agree to the truce.
Three months in, that approach has brought him next to nothing. On Monday, after a two-hour call with Putin, Trump again pivoted to the Russian president’s sequencing toward ending the war: negotiations before a cease-fire. And he signaled the U.S. could walk away if the two sides didn’t reach an agreement.
When Putin refused to sign on to a 30-day cease-fire on Monday, Trump didn’t impose further sanctions on Russia, as he has threatened to do, but instead said Russia and Ukraine should carry on negotiations among themselves.
Zelensky agreed to an unconditional cease-fire proposed by the U.S. leader, signed up to a minerals deal that the White House had pushed as a condition for further support and flew to Turkey for talks called for by Russian President Vladimir Putin—all while gently urging Trump to pressure Russia to agree to the truce.
Three months in, that approach has brought him next to nothing. On Monday, after a two-hour call with Putin, Trump again pivoted to the Russian president’s sequencing toward ending the war: negotiations before a cease-fire. And he signaled the U.S. could walk away if the two sides didn’t reach an agreement.
When Putin refused to sign on to a 30-day cease-fire on Monday, Trump didn’t impose further sanctions on Russia, as he has threatened to do, but instead said Russia and Ukraine should carry on negotiations among themselves.
