Ukraine must be prepared for new challenges: political analyst on potential Trump-Putin call

He shared his opinions on Espreso TV.

"Trump announced a phone conversation with Putin on Tuesday, March 18, and the issues to be discussed: ending the war, territories, port activity, and control over the Zaporizhzhia NPP. On one hand, these 'discussions' are Russia’s way of stalling, but on the other, the U.S. wants to push the negotiation process forward. It seems that the talks go a bit deeper than what the media presents. The problem is that we hear about it from the Americans, not from our delegation representatives who could clarify what's happening. So, I fear that after tomorrow's conversation, if it happens, we may learn a lot of new things, and it’s not necessarily going to be pleasant. There may be issues that will raise questions, and we need to be ready for that," said Ihor Reiterovych.

According to him, tomorrow, March 18, could be an important day, but not in terms of an immediate ceasefire or one happening by the end of March. Instead, politically significant statements and decisions could provide a clearer picture of where the situation is headed and what consequences it might lead to.

"I wouldn't be too optimistic yet, because Trump has said everything is great dozens of times, and then it all ended differently. Something tells me that the Russians, so to speak, didn’t just agree to the terms and conditions of the Americans after the meeting in Jeddah with the Ukrainian delegation without a fight. Putin will clearly try to make his adjustments, and the key questions are whether Trump will accept these adjustments and whether he will later try to impose them on Ukraine in a clearly forceful manner. This is a real threat, and it's the main challenge we face ahead of these talks. Putin is being very well-prepared for his talks with Trump; he knows exactly which points to push to create a positive attitude towards the Russians and Russia," commented the political analyst.

Reiterovych does not believe that the conversation between Putin and Trump will be conducted in an elevated tone. If Putin continues to stall and put forward new demands, Trump will, sooner or later, form the opinion that he is being "led by the nose."