Just ahead of the high-stakes phone call between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin on Tuesday, Bloomberg is reporting that the Russian leader will stipulate that all weapons deliveries to Ukraine, including US and European aid, be suspended. At this very moment the European Union has been busy ramping up efforts to deliver fresh military aid packages.
This comes as no surprise, given that from the start Moscow has condemned the build-up of NATO military infrastructure in Ukraine. It will be the first call between the two since Washington advanced the 30-day ceasefire plan with an aim of achieving a lasting peace. Putin is also expected to request that Ukraine’s military cannot resupply or conduct training – especially by Western military programs – during the interim truce.
“Many elements of a Final Agreement have been agreed to, but much remains,” Trump wrote Monday on Truth Social. He stressed that the war “must end NOW.” Reports say the call is expected between 9am and 11am Washington time, and will include focus on “further normalization” – the Russian side indicated.
Trump’s prior mention of “dividing up certain assets” was cause for much speculation on Monday, with much of the commentary focused on the likely question of control over Ukraine’s nuclear power plants.
According to the latest from Bloomberg:
- Vladimir Putin is demanding a suspension of all weapons deliveries to Ukraine during any ceasefire, according to people with knowledge of the matter.
- Ahead of his call with Trump today, Putin has made this a prerequisite for Russia signing up to a truce, said a senior European official and three people in Moscow familiar with Russia’s position.
- While Russia wants to halt all arms deliveries, its minimum aim is that US military aid should stop, two of the people said.
- The senior European official said Europe was extremely reluctant to agree to the demand. It would risk a situation where Russia was able to rearm during a truce but Ukraine was prevented from doing so, they said.
- It is the latest example of maximalist demands made by Putin which will be very difficult for Ukraine and Europe to accept.
- The UK and EU are both working on efforts to deliver fresh military aid packages to Ukraine as soon as possible.
- The suspension of arms supplies sought by Putin would be lifted after a final peace accord so long as Ukraine agreed to limits on its army, one person in Moscow said.
And: As of 8:00am S&P futures are down 0.3%, losing ground after Bloomberg reported Russian President Vladimir Putin is demanding a suspension of all weapons deliveries to Ukraine…
There are also reports saying that the US is mulling recognizing Crimea as part of Russia, and that it may urge the Untied Nations to do the same. This could be an ‘easy’ one for the US, which is likely to entice Putin.
Trump had continued in his Monday social media post, “I look very much forward to the call with President Putin. Many elements of a Final Agreement have been agreed to, but much remains.”
And Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Tuesday that the two leaders will discuss “a large number of issues from the normalization of our relations and the Ukrainian issue.” He said, “The leaders will speak for as long as they deem necessary” – after their first phone call had lasted 90-minutes.
EU leaders are said to be “trembling”… “That is why there is a mood of alarm in Europe’s capitals,” Bild wrote Tuesday. This also as Trump has floated the possibility of dropping anti-Russia sanctions for the sake of peace.
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