Russian President Vladimir Putin, and Russian Prosecutor General Igor Krasnov: AP
Russian President Vladimir Putin, and Russian Prosecutor General Igor Krasnov: AP
Robyn Dixon
©Washington Post
Yesterday at 10:13
Russian President Vladimir Putin refused to accept President Donald Trump’s offer for a full 30-day ceasefire in Ukraine after their much vaunted call. The Kremlin nonetheless extolled the trust between the two leaders as ushering in a “new world order.” Mr Putin instead offered Trump a partial ceasefire - ending attacks on the Russian energy infrastructure being targeted by Ukraine’s long-range drones, as well as Moscow’s strikes on Ukraine’s power grid - with the other issues delegated to working groups. This deal would create the likelihood that peace efforts could become bogged down for months as Russia continues pushing into Ukraine three years after Moscow’s full-scale invasion. Mr Trump’s conversation with Putin appeared to signal Russia’s re-emergence as one of a handful of great powers deciding the fates of smaller nations, recognizing a role for Moscow in resolving global conflicts in the Middle East and elsewhere. It continued a theme of making major decisions affecting Ukraine when Kyiv is absent from the table.
Former Russian president and now deputy chairman of the Security Council Dmitry Medvedev, focused on the fact that Ukraine and Europe were left out of a conversation crucial to both of their interests.