[Tonight's Putin-Trump Phone Call: Will There Be a Breakthrough on Ukraine-Russia Issue?]
On May 19th, Dmitry Peskov, the Russian President's spokesperson, announced that Putin would have a phone call with U.S. President Trump at 17:00 Moscow Time (22:00 Beijing Time) today. The call is taking place against the backdrop of the Istanbul talks, and the Russian side described the dialogue as "extremely important".
Peskov stated that the discussion will focus on the Ukraine-Russia conflict and bilateral trade, emphasizing that Russia "prioritizes achieving goals through political and diplomatic means", but also noting that "military actions will inevitably accomplish set tasks".
Peskov mentioned that the offline meeting between Putin and Trump "depends on mutual private agreement" and requires "full preparation"; if Trump's envoy visits Russia, coordination can be "arranged at any time".
Trump previously claimed that the call would involve communication with Zelenskyy in an attempt to push for ceasefire negotiations. However, Putin believes that Russian troops "can break through Ukrainian military lines by the end of the year" and completely control the four regions; therefore, during the call, Russia is unlikely to make major concessions.
Source: https://www.toutiao.com/article/1832543872294912/
Disclaimer: This article only represents the author's personal views.