Putin maneuvers Trump: Peace talks falter amid Kremlin’s demands
Spanish media commented on the outcome of Tuesday's phone conversation between the presidents of the United States and Russia, Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin, highlighting its limited effects. According to them, Putin is employing an old Soviet negotiation strategy, accepting only what benefits him.
Madrid's daily "ABC" noted that "Trump's ambitious plans for an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine are slipping out of his control." The newspaper pointed out that the proposed ceasefire would be even more limited than the one Ukraine had previously agreed to.
"El Pais" assessed that the conversation did not yield significant solutions, despite the enthusiastic declarations of the US president. According to the newspaper, the meeting exposed a "lack of flexibility" on the part of the Russian leader.
The newspaper predicts that peace negotiations in Ukraine are likely to be thwarted by the Kremlin's excessive demands, with Putin attempting to place the blame on the authorities in Kyiv.
The daily "El Mundo" wrote that "Putin, following the old Soviet negotiation playbook, delays deadlines and accepts only the kind of truce that suits him best." According to the newspaper, despite official statements from both sides, the Russian leader effectively once again rejected the ceasefire proposal negotiated in Saudi Arabia by representatives of the United States and Ukraine.
Putin's talks with Trump. Spaniards have no doubts
"El Mundo" characterizes Tuesday's conversation as a Russian "trick" designed to buy time. "Russia maintains its maximalist demands," the newspaper notes, adding that the Kremlin is, in fact, demanding Ukraine's capitulation.
According to the newspaper, a pause in the shelling of energy infrastructure is also beneficial for Moscow in light of Ukrainian attacks on targets deep within Russia.
Now all the Russian autocrat has to do is play for time, which is the basis of the old Soviet negotiation playbook, so that Trump becomes weary and pressures Ukraine to accept any deal, or again halts military aid to Kyiv, "El Mundo" writes.
The newspaper adds that "this goal—irritating the United States and breaking Washington's ties with Ukraine—would be another great victory for the Kremlin.
