Friday 21 Mar 2025 @ 12:20
Chatham House
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Putin’s negotiation strategy is predictable: move slowly, keep Trump interested, and reset expectations

EXPERT COMMENT

If Donald Trump believed he could persuade Vladimir Putin to sign up to a comprehensive ceasefire in Ukraine, he is learning the hard way: Russia is interested in peace, but only on its terms.

The meagre results of yesterday’s 90-minute phone call between President Donald Trump and President Vladimir Putin speak volumes. The announcement of a 30-day ceasefire on energy infrastructure, which Trump claimed as an accomplishment, is a reheated old initiative. It was discussed by Moscow and Kyiv before last summer’s Ukrainian incursion into Russia’s Kursk Region.

By giving little ground, Putin has signalled that he is ready to dance a long, slow tango with Trump while the Russian army continues its battlefield advances. His strategy is clear: to use ceasefire negotiations as a tool to accelerate victory, setting conditions that will later become part of a final agreement. 

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Original article link: https://www.chathamhouse.org/2025/03/putins-negotiation-strategy-predictable-move-slowly-keep-trump-interested-and-reset

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