Kremlin propagandists have suggested that Vladimir Putin has President Donald Trump where he wants him following the leaders’ phone call on Tuesday.
Pundits on the Russia 1 channel said the conversation about Putin’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine went perfectly and showed Moscow is on the verge of victory in a new Cold War.
In a clip posted by Russia watcher Julia Davis, the guests suggested that Putin’s agreement for a 30-day cessation of strikes on energy infrastructure was just a sop to Trump and showed no real intention by the Russian president to end hostilities. One said, “at least it brought Donald some pleasure.”
Trump has described the phone call as making progress toward peace and the White House has said that both he and Putin spoke about the need for peace and a ceasefire.
The White House said the leaders agreed the movement to peace would start with an energy and infrastructure ceasefire, talks on a maritime ceasefire in the Black Sea and then a full ceasefire.
When contacted for comment, the White House referred Newsweek to a statement by press secretary Karoline Leavitt after the call.
In it she said that the leaders spoke about the need for peace and a ceasefire and that an improved bilateral relationship has a huge upside.
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Why It Matters
Russian TV propagandists do not necessarily parrot Kremlin policy but they have been more overt recently in describing how Trump’s presidency serves Moscow’s interests and have added to speculation about whether Trump is doing Putin’s bidding.
What To Know
Guests on the show Evening With Vladimir Solovyov analyzing the Trump-Putin call did not hide their joy.
Russian MP Andrey Lugovoy—a suspect in the poisoning of former Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko—said that after the collapse of the Soviet Union following the Cold War, Moscow “had won the rematch.”
He said that moves by Trump to end Russia’s isolation and restore ties with Putin showed how Washington has started to take Moscow’s interests into account.
Political scientist Dmitry Kulikov said Putin showed Trump there was no easy solution to the war and rejected the idea of a swift peace deal after a 30-day ceasefire or any unconditional truce.
Even if Russia ceased strikes on energy infrastructure, this won’t help Ukraine because of the destruction it has already faced, he said, adding Moscow can wait it out for 30 days which will not be long enough for Ukraine to restore anything.
Host Vladimir Solovyov chimed in to refer to Putin’s refusal to commit to an unconditional ceasefire.
He said that the U.S. and Ukraine should accept Moscow’s conditions to avoid more military actions, adding that “the mood is good after their conversation.”
The White House holds a different view to the propagandists’ take of the phone call and insists that Trump can strike a deal that will end the war. It noted how a conversation between the U.S. president and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had yielded progress regarding American military and intelligence support for Kyiv.
Yuriy Boyechko, founder of the humanitarian organization Hope for Ukraine, told Newsweek that following Trump’s call, any step that reduces harm to innocent civilians, including limiting attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure is welcomed.
But he said this was not a gesture of goodwill by Putin, rather a strategic decision driven by daily Ukrainian drone strikes on Russian oil refineries and does not address the broader violence and devastation Ukrainians face.
What People Are Saying
Russian political scientist Dmitry Kulikov on Russia 1: “We’ll see what comes of it—but at least it brought Donald some pleasure, now he can talk about it.”
Russia watcher Julia Davis: “State TV propagandists have surmised that a partial ceasefire was just Putin’s way of throwing Trump a bone.”
White House statement: “President Trump and President Putin spoke about the need for peace and a ceasefire in the Ukraine war. Both leaders agreed this conflict needs to end with a lasting peace.”
Yuriy Boyechko, founder of the humanitarian organization Hope for Ukraine: “Now is the time for President Trump to push the Russian regime to honor the complete ceasefire, just as the U.S. has demanded from Ukraine.”
What Happens Next
How moves toward peace develop will depend on talks between U.S. and Russian delegations in Saudi Arabia on Sunday but Kyiv has said that Ukraine will not attend them. Boyechko said that the U.S. must put greater pressure on Russia to agree to the full 30-day ceasefire negotiated between the U.S. and Ukraine.
Update 03/20/25, 11:22 p.m. ET: This article was updated with a White House response.
