Trump and Putin in deadlock

Bloomberg reports that negotiations are once again at a "deadlock": the U.S. is proposing to end the war along the current frontline, but Putin still insists on full control over all four regions.

My sources confirm this. So far, Witkoff has failed to persuade Putin, who is demanding a direct meeting with Trump.

In reality, Putin is waiting for a U.S. proposal with a global scope — one that clearly acknowledges his claims to "spheres of influence." For him, this isn’t just a war over territory, but a struggle for a global redistribution of power, as he has repeatedly stated.

Whether Trump has some particularly intriguing proposal for Putin is unknown. But one thing is clear: the window of opportunity for negotiations is closing.

Trump likes successful deals, but here he hasn’t delivered — neither in 24 hours nor in 100 days. He’s reluctant to get entangled in a complex situation with no clear win, especially as mounting domestic issues demand more of his attention.

Meanwhile, Putin is about to receive another shipment of North Korean “meat” and won’t want to waste the summer. He’s likely to push into the Dnipropetrovsk and Sumy regions — at the very least, to “strengthen his negotiating position.”

Although, on a global scale, he believes he’s stronger in a war of attrition — and that Ukraine’s negotiating position is currently weaker.

Thus, Putin is ready to keep fighting — at least through the summer. What should Ukraine do? Clearly, it must push the U.S. to ramp up sanctions as much as possible.

Also, the U.S. has the capacity to crash global oil prices.

Only by economically weakening Russia can its will to continue the war be impacted — and that requires a serious, coordinated effort from all sides.

For now, however, some European countries continue to quietly buy Russian oil, which reaches them through Ukrainian territory…

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About the author. Victoria Siumar, journalist, media expert.

The editorial team does not always share the opinions expressed by blog authors.