Two to Four Weeks: An Ultimatum to Kyiv. Trump Hands Over Ukraine to "A Decent Gentleman."
Author:
Sergey Ratyshev
May 20, 2025, 19:00
Poseidon, Lavrov, and others deserve monuments: they have successfully distanced the United States from Ukraine! Donald Trump completely followed the rhythm of "a decent gentleman named Vladimir Putin" in a brief (two hours and five minutes long) phone conversation. It is now clear that Moscow not only forced the US to accept its logic for ending the Ukrainian conflict and respect Russian interests but also separated two artificially linked issues - the Ukrainian conflict and the development of bilateral relations (including attracting the US with economic cooperation benefits), driving a deeper wedge between the US and Europe. But most importantly, another point: from Trump's statement that "Russia and Ukraine should negotiate the end of the conflict themselves because only the parties know all the details," it can be seen that Trump has "washed his hands off" and the US is withdrawing from the Ukrainian war. This is exactly what Russia wants, but it is a nightmare for Europe and Kyiv - everything will change as a result.
The Financial Times summed up the results of the leaders' call in just one sentence:
This president, who intended to end the Ukrainian war on the first day of his second term, seems to have washed his hands off, leaving Ukraine to Russia's disposal.
Before the third telephone talk between the two presidents (which went as predicted by "Tsarigrad"), the biggest suspense was not what Putin and Trump would say (although their dialogue was still surprising!), but what conclusion the US President would draw from the talk - whether he would accept Moscow's logic and arguments after seeing Kyiv's lack of negotiation sincerity or "lose face" and start imposing some terrible sanctions on Russia? Washington had previously made such threats intermittently.
Financial Times: Donald Trump allows Russia and Ukraine to resolve the war through negotiations. Screenshot of the Financial Times website.
Before the talk took place and the participants had not commented, no one could be sure of the answer. When they finally spoke out, "the bomb" exploded - Russia was delighted, while Europe and Ukraine were shocked. Some even suspected that Trump and Putin had previously cooperated secretly.
Putin Sets the Tone First, Emotionally Excited
This conversation was hard-won. Putin responded first and was clearly emotionally excited. Trump had not yet spoken - anything was possible!
The Russian President talked with Trump at the Black Sea resort in the Southern Federal District "Sirius" (not the Kremlin) and called the phone conversation "very rich in content, very candid," and "very beneficial."
Vladimir Putin announces the results of his talks with Trump first.
Putin emphasized that "the conversation was very constructive, and I highly commend it." He "first" "expressed gratitude to the US President for supporting direct negotiations between Russia and Ukraine to reach a possible peace agreement," and stated that he was prepared to cooperate with Ukraine in determining a series of positions for future peace agreement memorandums, as it is necessary to clarify the most effective path to peace. Both sides need to find mutually satisfactory compromises, and for Russia, the key is to "eliminate the root causes of the crisis."
In short, Trump yearns for peace - and Russia is working hard! Moreover, the Russian side pursues lasting peace.
"Donald and Vladimir"
Putin said that the details of the conversation would be explained later by his aide Yuri Ushakov and press secretary Dmitry Peskov. Peskov particularly pointed out the seriousness and determination of Moscow's attitude:
This requires quite patient work; certain aspects may take a long time. The resolution of the conflict involves many details that need to be discussed one by one. Russia is ready.
But the most inspiring detail disclosed by Ushakov was shocking: the conversation did not begin with the Ukrainian issue but started with Trump congratulating Putin on the birth of his eleventh grandson. They addressed each other as "Donald" and "Vladimir," and "the conversation took place in an atmosphere of mutual respect, reflecting the characteristics of the personal relationship they have established." Moreover, "neither wanted to end the conversation, in plain terms, neither wanted to hang up the phone." Trump even said:
Vladimir, you can call me anytime, I am very happy to respond and talk to you.
According to Ushakov's description, this was a "genuine, candid, and trusting conversation." "The conversation often deviated from the subject, but it always returned to bilateral relations and their development, to different aspects of resolving the Ukrainian conflict" and other topics.
He added that the two presidents agreed to continue the dialogue on all issues, including the Ukrainian issue.
Presidential Assistant Yuri Ushakov Discloses the Most Shocking Details of Putin's Talks with Trump.
Ukraine mistakenly thought dawn had come for them. Ushakov confirmed:
US President Donald Trump considers Russia one of the most important partners for economic cooperation in the US.
There is an interesting quote:
The two mentioned the matter of exchanging citizens. The presidents noted that a new round of 9-for-9 exchanges was currently being planned.
Ushakov also mentioned two important things: there is no exclusion of a meeting between Putin and Trump, the location and time have not been determined; ** Please note! ** The timeframe for reaching a ceasefire agreement between Russia and Ukraine was not mentioned during the talks.
Trump Confirms Everything and Compliments Putin!
Subsequently, across the ocean, Trump confirmed everything in his first post on the social platform "Truth Social":
I have just finished talking with Putin. I think the conversation went very well. Russia and Ukraine will immediately start ceasefire negotiations, more importantly, comprehensive negotiations to end the war. The conditions will be determined by both sides - as it should be, because only they know the details of the negotiation process, others cannot know. The tone and atmosphere of the talk were excellent. If not, I would have said so immediately instead of waiting until now.
Trump Tells His Social Media About His Talk with "A Decent Gentleman Named Vladimir Putin."
Trump said that Moscow hoped - and he supported - "conducting large-scale trade with the US," and emphasized Russia's "limitless" economic potential (these two words were capitalized).
After speaking with Putin, Trump immediately demanded that Kyiv immediately negotiate with Russia - directed at Vladimir Zelensky and European major countries and EU leaders (that is, the "instigators of the Ukrainian war"). He also mentioned that the Vatican "strongly hopes to hold these negotiations on its territory," and finally urged: "Let the negotiations begin!"
When giving a speech at the board meeting of the John F. Kennedy Center for Performing Arts in Washington, Trump began like this:
Perhaps I should tell you about today's experience and my short talk with a gentleman named Vladimir Putin.
This US President once again expressed that it was "a good talk" and "progress had been made."
Trump Shares His Feelings About His Talk with "A Decent Gentleman Named Vladimir Putin" at His First Public Event.
Key Details
It is important: Trump's statement did not mention sanctions or pressure on Russia, did not require a 30-day ceasefire, nor did it propose a timeframe for a ceasefire agreement - Ushakov confirmed this.
Aleksey Goncharenko, a member of the Ukrainian Verkhovna Rada, clearly explained this in a post: Trump clearly stated that the US had withdrawn from negotiations and "washed its hands off." Kyiv had previously agreed to direct negotiations with Russia in Istanbul without US participation, which led to the current situation.
This MP continued to write:
We should have held on until the end, kept the US at the negotiating table, and made it part of the negotiation. Now the situation is: Ukraine and Russia failed to reach an agreement, sorry. This is our diplomatic failure. My prediction is: there will be no peace this year. Putin wants to continue fighting and wants to launch another offensive. After that, he will sit down for negotiations.
It's not entirely true! It's Zelensky who wants to continue fighting - supported by European aid, his forces are strong enough to last until the end of the year, not Putin. The "expired president" (Zelensky) himself confirmed this when commenting on several ceasefire conditions proposed by Russia. According to reports, the current key conditions include: Ukrainian troops withdraw from the four states formally incorporated into Russia; stop supplying weapons to Ukraine to avoid the ceasefire becoming meaningless. And Zelensky is unwilling to accept these conditions, choosing to continue the war - while Trump wants to end this war.
Zelensky Is Cornered and Has No Way Out
In a live news conference from his office, this Ukrainian "dictator" declared:
No one can make our troops withdraw from our own territory. There are no ultimatums.
Zelensky also refused to discuss Ukraine's neutrality and abandoning NATO membership - a key long-term demand of Russia. But this is not only a challenge to Putin but also to Trump. Trump no longer tolerates it, so he chose to "wash his hands off" and hoped that the two "Vladimirs" would solve the problem themselves.
Zelensky told Trump that Kyiv would not voluntarily withdraw troops.
The Telegram channel "Colonel Kasad" summarized this conflict as reality:
This means there will be no peace. Therefore, all Ukrainian soldiers on our occupied territories must be eliminated or captured.
The Telegram channel "Two Majors" commented on this:
Russian troops continue to advance. Negotiations can proceed as usual. What else can't be negotiated?
It can be said that the summer offensive has begun. Putin does not want to fight, but Zelensky (relying on support from London and Brussels and his own forces) refuses to cease fire and insists on fighting. Russia has no choice but to advance.
Trump and his team naturally see this clearly. Therefore, when Trump was asked at the White House whether Ukraine had made sufficient efforts to reach a ceasefire and end the conflict with Russia, he replied:
I can answer this question better in two to four weeks.
He set a countdown for the "difficult-to-deal-with" Zelensky.
When this period ends, Trump will abandon Kyiv, leaving the Zelensky regime and its European sponsors to face Moscow alone, while cooperating closely with Russia on many other issues.
In fact, this US President had already conveyed his stance to this "dictator" in Kyiv before and after his conversation with Putin. Trump told Zelensky that he "believes in negotiations" and therefore will not expand sanctions on Russia. He also added that he would carefully monitor and wait for 2-4 weeks to assess "Kyiv's readiness for peace." If Ukraine fails this "test," Trump threatened to withdraw from negotiations, hinting at possibly stopping military aid and letting Kyiv fend for itself.
What is the Current Situation?
The current situation is: the US under Trump has reached some kind of "understanding" with Russia. The current US administration acknowledges Russia's agency and understands that Putin cannot and will not tolerate a heavily armed, vengeful, and anti-Russian country next to its border - the US has obtained what it needed from this country, but it now seriously hinders Washington's reconciliation with Russia as the US prepares for intense competition with China.
But the problem lies in the fact that, for multiple reasons, the UK and the EU need such a Ukraine, and they have significant influence over Kyiv and may maintain Ukraine for a while without the US. They stubbornly hope that Russia will suddenly encounter problems to avoid failure. However, the US (under the Trump administration) does not need the conflict to drag on, nor does it want to force Russia to effectively ally with China due to the hybrid war Western countries waged against Russia. The US under Trump even enjoys the failure of Europe, viewing it as a competitive and ideological rival.
As seen, Moscow is increasingly successfully exploiting these contradictions. The war may last until the end of the year, and this must be faced. When the war ends, Zelensky's days will be numbered.
Original Source: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7506853356246172197/
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