Politico: Vladimir Putin occasionally irritates Donald Trump
Photo: Donald Trump, President of the United States (Getty Images)
Western media reports that the Russian leader’s intransigence in negotiations periodically irritates Donald Trump and complicates diplomatic efforts to end the war in Ukraine, according to Politico.
Politico reports that neither fighting on the battlefield nor Russia’s domestic problems, including fuel shortages following Ukrainian drone strikes on oil refineries, has pushed Vladimir Putin to abandon his maximalist demands.
According to the outlet, Putin’s rigidity periodically irritates Donald Trump and prompts questions in Washington about whether the Kremlin is exploiting the negotiation process for its own ends.
Chances of peace deal
Politico estimates the likelihood of ending the war through Trump’s mediation as low, around one in four. At the same time, Volodymyr Zelenskyy faces serious domestic political constraints, and any concessions to Russia could trigger a sharp public backlash in Ukraine.
Trump's role and talks
After the Alaska summit, Trump reportedly told French President Emmanuel Macron that Putin appeared interested in reaching agreements specifically with him. Politico notes that the Russian leader carefully times contacts, including a two-hour phone call that coincided with Kremlin talk of a possible summit as Trump floated the option of transferring Tomahawk cruise missiles to Ukraine.
Moscow's strategic calculus
The outlet argues that prolonging the war benefits the Kremlin by draining European countries, undermining transatlantic unity, and diverting Western attention from other global challenges, dynamics that analysts say also work to China’s advantage in the context of Taiwan.
Previously, polling cited by The Hill and conducted by The Economist/YouGov showed that nearly half of Americans disapprove of Trump’s handling of efforts to resolve the Russia–Ukraine war. Trump has said that achieving peace worldwide is among his goals for 2026.
