Trump, Putin set to meet in March or April, following phone call - international expert

Yurii Romaniuk, international affairs expert and head of the All-Ukrainian Public Organization Ukraine in NATO, expressed this opinion on Espreso TV.

“We clearly see that Trump is sending comprehensive signals (regarding the meeting - ed.) to Putin publicly and openly through his online network, while Russia, in turn, is sending signals back to Trump in every interview with Russian propagandists about their willingness to meet. Before the meeting, there will undoubtedly be a phone conversation. Trump, who seems to refrain from giving clear signals, publicly stated just yesterday that he has a scheduled, quote, ‘phone conversation with Putin’ coming up soon. I believe this will happen within a month, maybe two to three weeks at the most. In other words, they have agreed to first conduct a phone conversation. Depending on the success of this conversation, each side will decide whether to proceed with a personal meeting,” he said.

Yurii Romaniuk says that the possibility of a personal meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian dictator Vladimir Putin would depend on the outcome of their phone call.

“If Trump does not like Putin’s tone or if he doesn’t hear what he wants from Putin, Trump may delay the personal meeting until, as they say, the ‘client matures.’ Putin, however, has no choice—he cannot blackmail Trump with his willingness or unwillingness to meet because he has an inevitable desire to meet. He is very eager to have a one-on-one meeting to replicate the success he achieved eight years ago in 2017. Back then in Finland, he got everything he wanted from Trump, leaving Trump completely humiliated and exhausted after the conversation, fully agreeing to all of Putin’s demands,” the expert explained.

Yurii Romaniuk speculated about when the theoretical meeting between Trump and Putin could take place.

“After the phone conversation, the timing and speed of their meeting will be finalized. However, the meeting will not happen sooner than a month later. This means it would most likely be late March or April when such a meeting could theoretically occur. The phone call, as I mentioned, is likely in February,” he noted.

• On January 22, U.S. President Donald Trump called on Russian dictator Vladimir Putin to agree to a deal to end the war in Ukraine. In case of refusal, he threatened Russia with high taxes, tariffs, and sanctions on all exports to the U.S.