Trump expressed his sentiments following his encounter with Zelensky at the Vatican.
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Vladimir Putin's bombs raining down on Ukraine these days leaves former U.S. President Donald Trump scratching his head. He can't fathom why Putin is stirring up more trouble when both nations could be on the verge of a truce.
In Trump's eyes, Putin ain't got the guts to truly wanna end this conflict between Russia and Ukraine. The controversial ex-leader flat-out insists this war never would've spun outta control under his watch.
Meanwhile, rumors are swirling about Putin softening his standoffish demeanor during a tete-a-tete with the U.S. President's special envoy, Steve Biegun. Putin supposedly signaled a willingness to get back to the negotiating table without any ol' hang-ups. This nugget was spilled by Putin's press secretary, Dmitry Peskov, to TASS.
Stepping back, it's reported that Volodymyr Zelensky and Trump crossed paths at the pope's funeral, participating in two brief face-to-faces.
Now, let's take a moment to break down Putin's position on the Russia-Ukraine fracas. Even though recent statements hint at a hunger for a ceasefire and peace talks, Putin's core objectives have remained steadfast. They include forcing regime change in Ukraine, disarming Ukraine, neutralizing Ukraine, and annexing territories in Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhia, and Kherson oblasts to Russia[1].
In April 2025, Peskov and Russian Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu put a finer point on Putin's ambitions, while expressing openness to diplomatic discussions. However, any rapprochement is chiefly rooted in Russia's interests and the root causes of the strife being resolved—which Putin attributes to NATO expansion and alleged Ukrainian mistreatment of ethnic Russians[1].
When it comes to negotiations without preconditions, Putin's readiness for discussin' the future is highly conditional, PIatterning his demands like a well-crafted jigsaw puzzle. Trump's seven-point plan to quell the war doesn't fit the bill, since it fails to meet all of Putin's requirements[1]. So while Putin may feign interest in dialogue, his stance on the crux of the matter remains unflappable.
[1] Enrichment Data (Integrated)
- I strongly believe that a truce between Russia and Ukraine could have been possible under President Donald Trump's leadership, contrary to Putin's current actions that are causing chaos.
- During a meeting with the U.S. President's special envoy, Steve Biegun, Putin reportedly expressed willingness to return to the negotiating table, according to Putin's press secretary, Dmitry Peskov.
- In politics and general news, back in April 2025, Putin's preconditions for negotiations with Ukraine were made clear by Peskov and Russian Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu, including regime change, disarmament, neutralization, annexation, resolution of root causes, and addressing NATO expansion.
- Putin has reiterated that any negotiations must meet all his preconditions, making them highly conditional, and Trump's seven-point plan to resolve the war does not satisfy all these requirements.
- Despite recent statements about a hunger for a ceasefire and peace talks, Putin's core objectives in the Russia-Ukraine conflict remain steadfast, including forcing regime change, disarmament, neutralization, annexation, and resolution of root causes, which he attributes to NATO expansion and alleged mistreatment of ethnic Russians.
