US president admits to concern Russian counterpart does not want to ‘stop the war’ and ponders new approach to Moscow

Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy have sat down for a face-to-face talk in the opulent halls of a Vatican basilica to discuss a possible ceasefire, after which the US president accused his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, of not wanting to “stop the war”.

The White House described Trump’s meeting with the Ukrainian leader before Pope Francis’s funeral as “very productive”, while Zelenskyy said on X that the talk with the US president was symbolic and had the “potential to become historic, if we achieve joint results”.

It was the first time that Zelenskyy and Trump had met face to face after a frosty February encounter in the White House where Trump and the US vice-president, JD Vance, berated the Ukrainian leader and accused him of ingratitude for US aid.

    • ☂️-@lemmy.ml
      7·
      3 days ago

      Vlad wants to end the war. On his terms though, cause he knows he can get it.

      • obbeel@lemmy.eco.br
        0·
        3 days ago

        If I had to guess (my knowledge is a couple of geopolitics books), I’d say Russia wants to create a rift between East and West that is beneficial to China as well. China helped Russia build a quantum computer recently and there are more clues that they’re getting even closer together. I think Russia wants to shake the current world order.

        • freagle@lemmygrad.mlEnglish
          6·
          3 days ago

          Why does maintaining a war, which consumes resources, laborers, and focus/attention, and also creates security threats, be beneficial to to Russia for shaking the current world order?

          • obbeel@lemmy.eco.br
            1·
            3 days ago

            Russia has been cut out from the West, it couldn’t even participate in the Olympics. So it got closer to China. Its economy is resilient despite the war. Russia has also been the leading country in the BRICS in regard to finding an alternative to the dollar together with Brazil. And it is working to ditch SWIFT (the banking system). So I’d say Russia is pretty interested into getting away from the West, at least economically and politically.

              • obbeel@lemmy.eco.br
                1·
                3 days ago

                Because it deepens the rift. Donald Trump as president also helps Putin a lot, as the russian president have said before, since Trump also wants to shake things up. As could be seen by his tariff policies.

  • GnuLinuxDude@lemmy.ml
    8·
    3 days ago

    It’s amazing how this man’s brain is so feeble that he just fully believes what the last person he met with him tells him.

  • gibmiser@lemmy.world
    7·
    3 days ago

    Scene: DJT standing awkwardly at a table. Beside him, sitting on the floor is Vladimir Putin with his Entire Arm shoved up DJT’s ass.

    DJT: I’m starting to think Putin might be manipulating me.

    • Whats_your_reasoning@lemmy.world
      1·
      2 days ago

      “Tapping me along” made me imagine someone tapping a golf ball. Nudging it, but not making a big swing, it could be indicative of a subtle influence.

      Trump may not know a lot about a lot, but he spends enough time golfing to potentially use a metaphor from it. On the other hand, I’ve never golfed (except the mini kind), so I could be way off.

  • Lovable Sidekick@lemmy.worldEnglish
    2·
    3 days ago

    Trump should know how to recognize tapping people along, it’s one of his signature moves, right up there with tax fraud, stiffing creditors and strategic bankruptcy.

  • Franklin@lemmy.ca
    0·
    2 days ago

    Something odd is happening with the right, seems like they’re trying to hedge their bets for blowback.

    Trump definitely knew this all along, to say this now seems like damage control.

    Then earlier this week Rogan calling out the deportations to El Salvador without a trial, saying it was an overcorrection to the left that has gone too far.

    I wonder if the American people will buy it.