‘Putin is playing Trump like a fiddle’: Donald Trump’s no-deal for Ukraine
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Russia has targeted two hospitals in Ukraine, among other targets, on the same day it rejected a 30-day ceasefire deal brokered by Donald Trump’s administration. What does this mean for any chance of peace in the region?
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In brief…
- Russia resumed attacks on Ukraine after rejecting a 30-day ceasefire proposal, although agreeing in a call with Trump to stop targeting Ukraine's energy infrastructure for 30 days.
- The News Agents suggest Putin is manipulating Trump, as the agreement primarily benefits Russia by protecting its energy infrastructure from Ukrainian attacks.
- Despite Trump's pre-election claim that he could end the conflict quickly, his diplomatic efforts have yielded little progress toward peace and may have damaged relations with allies.
What’s the story?
Russia wasted little time after rejecting a proposal for a 30-day ceasefire to resume its invasion of Ukraine.
Just hours after a phone conversation with Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin's forces launched air attacks on Ukraine, targeting two hospitals in its northern region – among other targets.
Ukraine also struck Russian targets overnight, with troops attacking along the Russian border, also launching a drone assault on a Russian oil complex.
In the call with Trump, Putin agreed to stop targeting Ukraine's energy infrastructure for 30 days.
Russia also agreed to a 175-person prisoner exchange with Ukraine.
Earlier in the day, Putin had laughed at a comment suggesting he was late for his meeting with the US president, while speaking at a televised event.
On the same day, Volodymyr Zelensky, who has agreed to a 30 day ceasefire, visited Finland to request military assistance from its leaders.
"They are not ready to end this war, and we can see that. They are not ready even for the first step, which is a ceasefire," said Zelensky, who says he now wants to speak to Trump to discuss what America offered Russia, and Russia offered America, during the conversation.
Prior to his election win in November 2024, Trump claimed he could end the conflict in “one day”. It has now been two months since he returned to The White House.
Who's smarter – Trump or Putin?
What’s The News Agents’ take?
What did Trump achieve during his call with Putin?
“Not a whole lot,” Jon Sopel concludes, calling the outcome a “nothing burger”.
“There are still drones flying over Kyiv, there are still explosions, there are still hospitals and critical infrastructure being targeted.
“Although Volodymyr Zelensky may have signed up to a 30 day ceasefire, Vladimir Putin seems a million miles from it.”
But you wouldn’t think that was the case if you were listening to Steve Witkoff on Fox News. The United States Special Envoy to the Middle East was singing Trump’s praises, saying he was “compelling” and deserves “all the credit”.
An incredible analysis of the latest events, as Emily Maitlis points out; “Everyone looking at the outcome of this phone call can see that Trump has got less from Putin than if nothing had been asked of him at all.”
What Trump did achieve was an energy infrastructure ceasefire - and while that seems at first glance to be a small win for Ukraine - this isn’t the case.
Of course, Ukraine wants to stop its energy infrastructure from being targeted - but Russia, Lewis Goodall says, is actually the main beneficiary of this commitment.
“The Ukrainians have been extremely successful in the last few weeks and months at targeting oil refineries, at targeting Russian energy infrastructure. So actually, it was Russia that, as much as anything, wanted a cessation in targeting energy infrastructure.”
“Putin's playing Trump like a fiddle.”
Lewis adds that for all of the endless attention Trump’s interventions have been getting, we are “no closer to peace in Ukraine” than we were before Trump took office.
“Trump has burned through America's diplomatic alliances. He's driven a wedge between the Transatlantic Alliance of Europe and the United States,” he says.
“He spurned the Ukrainians. He's burned through goodwill in almost every direction. He's got closer to one of the biggest gangster autocracies in the world.
“And the truth is, the horrible, horrible truth is, he's got nothing for it - we're no closer to peace than we were.”
Trump’s next move, Lewis suggests, could be to declare a great victory - that he managed to get a peace deal, and blame Ukraine for being stubborn.
“Putin is much, much smarter than Trump… it's not that Trump is playing Zelensky, it's that Putin is playing Trump,” Emily points out.
But while that may be the reality, it’s not the perception for many.
“Trump's genius, somehow, is because he moves with such momentum and with such energy, he looks very often as if he's in control, even when he's not, and even when actually he's getting played,” Lewis says. Ultimately, the peace deal with Russia-Ukraine is no further along.
“This is the art of the no-deal,” Jon concludes.
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