Trump will call time on the Ukraine war now, and Russia knows it

Russia indirectly benefited from the war in Gaza because it diverted the attention of the United States and other Western countries from the ongoing war in Ukraine.

However, now that a ceasefire has been reached between Israel and Hamas and a fledgling peace process has begun, US President Donald Trump is turning his sights to ending the war in Ukraine.

The president said Thursday that he and other “senior advisers” will meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Budapest, Hungary, to discuss how to end the war. This came after Trump’s meeting with the two leaders in question Putin congratulated him on “the great success achieved in establishing peace in the Middle East.”

“President Putin and I will meet later at an agreed-upon location, Budapest, Hungary, to see if we can end this “dishonorable” war between Russia and Ukraine. … I believe great progress was made on today’s phone call,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social. he said.

The meeting will be the second time the leaders will meet face to face during Trump’s second term and could take place within the next two weeks, according to the US leader.

Here’s one way the White House can pressure Moscow: He is discussing the possibility of supplying Ukraine with long-range Tomahawk missiles. Trump is expected to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the White House on Friday, and the leaders are expected to discuss the issue.

In another sign that the administration may be ready to deepen military support for Kiev, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Wednesday: “Firepower” was coming to Ukrainebut did not mention Tomahawks by name.

Trump this week made no secret of the fact that he and his envoys plan to immediately renew efforts to end the war in Ukraine as its fourth anniversary approaches.

He addressed Israeli lawmakers on Monday during the celebration Trump told the Knesset, the Israeli parliament, “We must handle Russia’s business” regarding the signing of the ceasefire agreement between Hamas and Israel.

“Steve, let’s focus on Russia first, okay? We’ll figure it out [done],” Trump saidAddressing US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff.

Having boasted ahead of his second term in office that he could get the Ukraine war to end in just “one day,” he conceded that it had proved trickier than he anticipated, noting: “I thought it would be easily settled. I thought it was a hell of a lot easier than doing what we just did [in Gaza]”

Victoria Coates, vice president of the Heritage Foundation’s Davis Institute, told CNBC this week that the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas will likely have an impact on the Russia-Ukraine war.

“The momentum behind resolving the Gaza conflict could help resolve the Ukraine war,” Coates, deputy national security adviser in Trump’s first administration, told CNBC’s “Squawk Box” on Tuesday.

“All the other countries the president met with [this week]and getting them behind conflict resolution, [can lead to] Maybe he’s pressuring Putin to come to the table. “So this could have a positive impact on Ukraine,” he said.

Of course, the real question now is whether Russia is ready to play ball with Trump and his team.

Although critics (especially Ukraine) seem eager to show that the Kremlin is willing to end the conflict Russia is adept at using delaying tactics to prolong the war to achieve territorial gains.

“Of course, we welcome such intentions, we welcome the confirmation of political will to assist in every possible way the search for a peaceful solution,” Russian presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov said on Tuesday. he said. Interfax reported.

Peskov stated that Russia “remains open and ready for peace dialogue” and added: “We hope that the influence of the United States and the diplomatic skill of President Trump’s envoys will certainly help to encourage the Ukrainian side towards greater readiness for the peace process.”

CNBC has contacted the Kremlin for further comment on its prospects for renewed negotiations with the United States and is awaiting a response.

Apart from touting the possibility of supplying Tomahawk weapons to Ukraine, which the Kremlin agreed to last Sunday “extreme anxiety” — Trump is putting pressure on Russia’s allies and imposing tariffs on India for buying Russian oil.

Trump, who recently called Russia a “paper tiger”, has also repeatedly threatened to impose more sanctions on Russia, but has so far stopped doing so, disappointing Kiev and other Western partners.

The Tomahawk talks could be a turning point for Russia, according to Peter Dickinson, editor of the Atlantic Council think tank’s Ukraine Alert publication. Dickinson said Tuesday that that would be the case if Trump was willing to call Putin’s bluff, promising to supply Tomahawks regardless of whether he eventually does so.

“Trump now needs to decide whether to call Putin’s bluff and arm Ukraine with Tomahawk missiles. There are growing indications that he may be inclined to do so,” Dickinson said.

“Trump now has an opportunity to convince his Russian counterpart that he is not as easily intimidated as other Western leaders, and Putin is more than ready to increase the pressure on Moscow until it agrees to maintain peace.” said in an online analysis.

“Many of Trump’s critics will undoubtedly scoff at the idea of ​​the US president adopting such an uncompromising stance towards Putin, but few objective observers would question that this approach is the only way to end the war,” he said.