For Russia, Trump-Putin call marks Moscow’s return to the world stage

The Washington Post ^ | March 19, 2025 | Robyn Dixon , Mary Ilyushina and Lizzie Johnson

[E. Pluribus Unum]

After a highly anticipated phone call in which Russian President Vladimir Putin declined to accept President Donald Trump’s offer for a full 30-day ceasefire in Ukraine, the Kremlin on Wednesday extolled the trust between the two leaders as ushering in a “new world order.”

Putin instead offered Trump a partial ceasefire — ending attacks on the Russian energy infrastructure being targeted by Ukraine’s long-range drones as well as Moscow’s strikes on Ukraine’s power grid — with the other issues delegated to working groups, creating the likelihood that peace efforts could become bogged down for months as Russia continues pushing into Ukraine.

Trump’s conversation with Putin appeared to signal Russia’s reemergence as one of a handful of great powers deciding the fates of smaller nations, recognizing a role for Moscow in resolving global conflicts in the Middle East and elsewhere. It continued a theme of making major decisions impacting Ukraine when Kyiv is absent from the table.

Tatiana Stanovaya, Russia analyst with the Carnegie Russian Eurasia Center, said the most significant outcome was the implicit acceptance of U.S.-Russia cooperation on key international and bilateral issues, such as the Middle East.

“This marks an obvious victory for Putin, who seeks to decouple bilateral relations from the Ukraine war,” she wrote on X.

The details and implementation of the agreement remained unclear.

Trump was expected to discuss the agreement with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky by phone Wednesday. From Helsinki, Zelensky disputed Putin’s assertion that Russia had already ceased its attacks on Ukraine’s energy sector overnight, saying 150 Russian drones were launched overnight.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, meanwhile, said that a Ukrainian drone strike on an oil transshipment point in Krasnodar in southern Russia was a sign that Kyiv was “not displaying reciprocity” even though Ukraine had yet to be consulted...

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Next paragraph after excerpt:

Russian politicians and analysts saw a significant shift in Tuesday’s call toward Russia’s rehabilitation by Washington, despite its war on Ukraine, effectively vindicating Putin’s decision to invade.

mucusmaxillary ain't gonna like this.

[JonPreston]

Aside from MSM propaganda, Moscow never left the main stage.

[PGR88]

Russia never left the world stage. They simply moved off-Broadway.

Russia was kicked off the Brussels-EU globohomo stage, and of course was kicked off the very important USA Stage, in coordination between US deep-staters and their EU cohorts.

[TornadoAlley3]

Carville is saying “a pee tape really exists!”

[DoughtyOne]

They’ll take another stab at Trump being Putin’s boot licker.

They never learn!

[E. Pluribus Unum]

They’ll take another stab at Trump being Putin’s boot licker. They never learn!

Says Zelenski's fellatiator. They never learn!

[DoughtyOne]

Are you implying I support Putin?

[E. Pluribus Unum]

I misunderstood your statement. I thought you were saying Trump was Putin’s bootlicker.

[DoughtyOne]

No problem. Thanks…,