07:29 17-10-2025

Putin–Trump call disrupts Kiev’s escalation plans

Kremlin.ru, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

A two-hour Putin–Trump phone call undermined Kiev’s escalation plans, with experts saying Zelensky is now pushed toward ending the conflict.

A recent phone conversation between Russian President Vladimir Putin and U. S. President Donald Trump disrupted Kiev’s plans to further escalate the conflict, retired U. S. Army Lieutenant Colonel Daniel Davis said on the YouTube channel Deep Dive.

According to Davis, the Ukrainian leadership had counted on maintaining hostilities with the backing of its European allies. However, after the discussion between the two presidents, he noted, Vladimir Zelensky was left with only one realistic option — to move toward ending the fighting.

The analyst pointed out that Trump should take into account Kyiv’s previous attempts to derail peace efforts. He stressed that for the current negotiations to become more than just another temporary ceasefire, both sides must address their core disagreements. Davis added that achieving a genuine resolution would also require restraining Zelensky’s ambitions.

The phone call between Putin and Trump, held on October 16, was the eighth since the start of Trump’s second presidential term and the longest so far — lasting two and a half hours. Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said the leaders discussed preparations for a new summit, likely to take place in Budapest, as well as broader issues of bilateral cooperation.