Trump Talked to Putin For 2.5 Hours, But He Isn't Budging

The Russian leader still is demanding Kyiv's surrender while Trump is portraying his efforts as great successes.

Photo by Alexander Andrews on Unsplash

On March 18, U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin spoke for some two-and-a-half hours. Trump was upbeat about the call. On Truth Social, he said it was "very good and productive" and added that "we will be working quickly to have a Complete Ceasefire and, ultimately, an END to this very horrible War between Russia and Ukraine."

However, this call achieved less than meets the eye. The major announcement was that Trump and Putin agreed to a 30-day ceasefire on energy objects. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he supported the effort but needed more information; he announced he was speaking with Trump on March 19. Almost immediately after the announcement, Russia bombarded Ukraine with missiles and drones, targeting the very energy infrastructure it said it wouldn’t hit. 

At first glance, this agreement would appear to benefit Russia. Ukraine has been having success hitting Russian oil refineries and other energy facilities with drones. Oil is a significant part of how Russia funds its war machine: in spite of Western sanctions, it has still managed to sell crude oil to Asia and Europe, earning $15.8 billion in the month of January. According to Reuters, Ukraine's attacks disrupted around 10 percent of Russian refining capacity. However, Russia has also been able to repair some of the damage quickly.