Trump was сonvinced of Putin deceiving him, Politico reports

A key moment was Donald Trump’s brief interaction with Volodymyr Zelenskyy on the sidelines of the ceremony, their first meeting since the failed Oval Office meeting. The conversation, according to Ukraine’s European allies, marked a shift in sentiment.

Trump vs. Putin

After the 15-minute meeting, Trump posted a scathing message on Truth Social to Vladimir Putin: "Vladimir, STOP!" He later added: "Maybe he doesn’t want to stop the war, he’s just tapping me along."

Keir Starmer and Emmanuel Macron have been trying for months to persuade Trump to ease up on Zelenskyy and focus on Putin, claiming that the Russian leader is playing Trump for a fool.

Trump’s public disapproval of Putin has been the subject of tacit approval among diplomats in London and Paris. Their efforts appear to be starting to bear fruit.

Zelenskyy influenced Trump

According to a former British ambassador, Zelenskyy "clearly managed to affect Trump’s thinking" in Rome. Britain and France have stressed throughout that Putin "disrespecting [Trump] by consistently breaking the ceasefire he claimed to be implementing".

Trump is painfully sensitive to the deaths - this may be his weak point, which is being influenced by his Ukrainian allies. But now London and Paris are anxiously waiting to see whether they can keep the US president on a tougher line towards the Kremlin.

Coordinated pressure from London and Paris

The US shift in position was made possible by the coordinated actions of Starmer and Macron, who used their channels of communication with the White House to send a clear signal: Putin cannot be trusted.

British Foreign Secretary David Lammy said that he had spoken to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio 13 times this year. Starmer and Trump spoke almost as often. Behind the scenes, the key figures in the British team were National Security Adviser Jonathan Powell and Defence Secretary John Healey, supported by US Ambassador Mark Burnett.

The French official added, “for the moment, Trump has understood” Putin can’t be trusted. He added: "It’s something that the president [Macron] repeatedly says, and tries to get through to Trump. That’s our strategy right now."

Steven Pfifer of the Brookings Institution in Washington said that Trump had "a blind spot for Putin ignoring U.S. requests" but that his recent statements "seemed to suggest he thought he was being played by Putin."

Breakthrough or illusion

While last week may seem like a diplomatic success for the UK and France, it is extremely fragile. Orisia Lucevich of Chatham House warns that the Vatican meeting had a one-day effect, but real political steps are needed, not just statements on social media.

The history of the US approach to negotiations shows how powerless European attempts can be. Recent examples include Rubio’s refusal to participate in the London summit and Trump’s statements about the need to cede Crimea.

The former ambassador said, "We need to decide if we take a stand against a lousy Trump deal or stand with our European allies." So far, Starmer has avoided a direct answer, and the British government has repeated that the terms of a ceasefire can only be determined through negotiations with Ukraine.

Putin’s distrust and diplomatic deadlock

Putin has yet to give a concrete response to the initiatives from Ukraine and the US. His announcement of a three-day ceasefire until May 9 has caused distrust in Kyiv and among Western allies. On the same day, a meeting of EU foreign ministers, possibly with David Lammy, could take place in Lviv in solidarity with Ukraine.

With each passing day without progress from Moscow, Trump is growing increasingly frustrated that he cannot reach a deal in his promised first 100 days of presidency, let alone the first 24 hours.

"The question is going to be now: is he prepared to alter course and begin to take a tougher approach towards Russia, or does he just blame both parties and walks away from it?" Pfifer concluded.

Until Trump finally gives up trying, the UK appears prepared to continue giving him a chance.

A majority of senators are ready to support a bill to impose devastating sanctions on Russia unless Vladimir Putin begins serious talks to end the war in Ukraine.

As Republican Senator Lindsey Graham said, the bill is a tool in President Trump’s arsenal. He said when President Trump thinks they’ve reached an impasse, expect action.