Description: Media outlets reported the phone call US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin had on 12 Feb as a shift in US foreign policy that could bring both Russia and Ukraine to the negotiating table. President Trump also talked with Ukrainian President Volodymir Zelenskyy as means to ending the war were exchanged. US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth complemented President Trump’s statements that reinstating Ukraine’s pre-2014 borders was momentarily an unrealistic goal as it was the country’s NATO membership. Russian negotiating positions have been reiterated by Kremlin’s spokesperson Dimitry Peskov who stated that Russia was exceedingly willing to negotiate under the current political and military conditions. Peskov also reconfirmed Russia’s position on the claimed territory and said that Russia would never agree to ground concessions before, during or after the negotiations.
Impact: Trump’s and Hegseth’s statements could be interpreted as both a way to lure Russia into negotiating peace under no certain terms and admitting the US and Europe’s defeat in the war in Ukraine. The US administration under its current political position has isolated European countries from the conjectural peace process in Ukraine which further inflated diplomatic tensions with countries such as the UK, Germany and France. No sustainable or long – term solution has been as of yet presented even though the deployment of peacekeeping forces was mentioned by Pete Hegseth which could mean that some initial progress towards finding means to end the war has been made. Negotiations are expected to continue on the short – term as diplomatic relations intensify, while a possible ceasefire or a peace agreement still seems untenable as ending the three – year war would need the undertaking of strenuous diplomatic, political and military reassurances.