Will "tune-changing" Trump rescue Putin once more ?

The dust has now settled on those phone calls of Trump to Putin, Zelensky, and certain members of the EU, on May 18th 2025.

 

Hindustan Times: 20 May 2025: YouTube

Since then, Putin has continued with his manic onslaught against the people of Ukraine by sending hundreds of drones than rained bombs on Kiev, and many other cities, including Dnipro, causing many civilian deaths in the process.

This has prompted Trump to exclaim that, 

"We are following the developments between US, Russia, and Ukraine, after president Trump called Russian president Vladimir Putin, quote, "Absolutely crazy!", for his latest action in the war on Ukraine. (CNN: 27 May 2025) (my emphasis)

 

CNN: 27 May 2025: YouTube

Trump further said that,

"If he [Putin] tries to conquer all of Ukraine, it will lead to Russia's downfall" (ibid CNN) 

Furthermore,

"There will now be a hope that president Trump's comments about Putin mark a significant change . I'm not sure if anyone is holding their breath in Ukraine, though"  (ibid CNN)

CNN now also reports that Trump is considering more sanctions on Moscow.

They also report that,

"In the mantime, Russia is blasting a decision by Germany, and other Ukrainian allies, including the US, to lift a ban on firing long range missiles into Russia." (CNN: 27 May, 2025) (my emphasis)

 

CNN: 27 May, 2025: YouTube

As also reported by Usaid Siddiqui (left), ,"Germany’s newly elected chancellor, Friedrich Merz, has announced that
Ukraine’s Western allies are lifting range restrictions on the weapons they have
been supplying to Kyiv
." (Al Jazeera: 27 May 2025) (my emphasis) 

It is interesting to note that, as reported by Taryn Pedler,

"In an explosive twist to the war in Ukraine, it has emerged the country secretly had the
green light to fire missiles into Russia since November last year.
…
While headlines suggest President Donald Trump is about to officially lift the embargo, insiders have claimed the real decision was made long ago - making Trump's move largely symbolic." (Daily Mail on MSN: 28 May 2025) (my emphasis)

Trump's remarks about "Russia playing with fire" has, as reported by Ciaran McGrath (right), drew the usual "nuclear war" threat response from Putin's glove-puppet, Dmitry Medvedev (left).

 "The remark drew a sharp response from Mr Medvedev, now deputy chairman of Russia’s Security Council and one of Mr Putin’s most outspoken allies. Posting on X, formerly Twitter, he said: “Regarding Trump's words about Putin ‘playing with fire’ and ‘really bad things’ happening to Russia. I only know of one REALLY BAD thing — WWIII. “I hope Trump understands this!” (Express: 27 May 2025) (my emphasis)

And now, as reported by Alice Scarsi (right) and Emily Wright,

"The wider Moscow region was pummelled by a series of drone attacks overnight.
…
Reports of drone attacks also emerged in the town of Ramenskoye and Moscow city itself." (Express: 28 May 2025) (my emphasis)

Added to which, as reported by Rebecca Robinson (left),

"A top Russian official has issued a dire warning regarding the country's soaring interest rates as its economy continues to struggle. The country's central bank will meet to set interest rates next Friday, and Economy Minister Maxim Reshetnikov urged it to take into account slowing inflation." (Express: 28 May 2025) (my emphasis) 

Is it any wonder, as reported by John Varga (right), that,

"Vladimir Putin fears he could be "hanging from a lamppost" if he fails to win in Ukraine, according to a British volunteer soldier. The Russian tyrant is doubling down on his war efforts, as his army seeks to make a decisive breakthrough on the frontlines." (Express: Tue, May 27, 2025) (my emphasis)

The fearful panic of Putin is underscored by  Lavrov (left) that dyed-in-the-wool Soviet foreign minister, suddenly announcing that,

"Russia will announce the next round of direct talks between Russia and Ukraine in the nearest future, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Wednesday." (Vladimir Soldatkin: Reuters: 28 May 2025) (my emphasis)

Interestingly, Lavrov goes on to state that,

"The neutral status of Ukraine remains one of Russia's key demands in the peace negotiations, Lavrov added." (ibid Vladimir Soldatkin)

It would seem as though  Ukraine's response to Putin's manic bombing of Kiev, amongst other cities in Ukraine, together with the  fact that Ukraine’s Western allies are lifting range restrictions on the weapons they have
been supplying to Kyiv, has propelled Putin to the edge of the abyss of oblivion.

Will "tune-changing" Trump rescue Putin once more? This is the $64 question!

UPDATE: 28 May 2025: 14:56 GMT 

 Rachel Hagan (left) has just reported that,

"Germany's new chancellor, Friedrich Merz, has told Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky that Berlin will help Kyiv produce long-range missiles to defend itself from Russian attack.

"We want to talk about production and we will not publicly discuss details," he said, when asked by reporters in Berlin if Germany would supply Kyiv with its Taurus missiles.
...
Despite the continued diplomatic manoeuvres, Ukraine's military reported one of its largest drone barrages on Russian targets to date overnight in to Wednesday, while Zelensky said Russia had launched more than 900 drones over a three-day period ending early on Monday morning." (BBC News: 28 May 2025) (my emphasis)

Scraping the bottom of the Russian political barrel, 

"The Kremlin has warned that any decision to end range restrictions on the missiles that Ukraine can use would be a quite dangerous change in policy that would harm efforts to reach a political deal." (ibid Rachel Hagan),

whilst at the same time,

"Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov did not dismiss the idea out of hand but said such a meeting could only take place after "concrete agreements" had been reached between "the two delegations." (ibid Rachel Hagan) 

Now that the "nuclear" bluff of Putin and his glove-puppet, Dmitry Medvedev, together with their 'siloviki' and TV propaganda acolytes, has been called, the next step would be to hand Zelensly an even stronger hand by racheting up sanctions against Putin and his ilk.

 

 

 

(to be continued)

Putin now has nowhere to run to

Chris Hughes (left) reports that,

"Experts are suggesting that Russian President Vladimir Putin could be on borrowed time, with some predicting his downfall through assassination due to the catastrophic war in Ukraine. The 72 year old autocrat has reportedly ramped up his security measures and is seldom seen outside his Kremlin stronghold, fearing retribution from a Ukrainian hit squad, internal dissenters, or betrayal by those closest to him." (Daily Express: 15 May2025) (my emphasis)

He further reports that,

"Adding weight to these claims, Col Hamish de Bretton-Gordon (left), former head of the UK's Joint Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Regiment, conveyed to the Mirror: "There are analysts, people who know better than I, who believe Putin is now a dead man walking, a spent force whose war in Ukraine will cause his end." (ibid Chris Hughes)

These claims that, "Putin is now a dead man walking" seem to be supported by the facts that:-

• Putin conspicuously stayed away from his own recently called "Peace Talks" in Istanbul. As Joe Stanley-Smith reported, "Russian President Vladimir Putin will not travel to Turkey to attend peace talks with Ukraine that he himself suggested, the Kremlin announced Wednesday evening." (Politico: 14 May 2025) (my emphasis),
  
• and at  the recent Instanbul "Peace Talks" between Putin's minor acolytes and Ukraine's delegation, (i) Russia demanded Ukraine withdraw its troops from four Ukrainian regions annexed by Vladimir Putin as the price for a ceasefire, and (ii)Vladimir Medinsky, Russia’s lead negotiator, also told Kyiv that Moscow could fight for at least another 21 years." (Kieran Kelly and Joe Barnes:The Telegraph: 16 May 2025) (my emphasis)

Kieran Kelly and Joe Barnes further report that,

"Russia’s proposals were branded “detached from reality” by a Ukrainian diplomatic source in talks which appeared to end in acrimony." (ibid Kieran Kelly and Joe Barnes)"

 The bluster by Vladimir Medinsky that, "Moscow could fight for at least another 21 years" falls into the same paranoid category as Putin's premier TV host and supporter, Vladimir Solovyov (left), who recently on Russia's TV angrily pronounced that,

"With the kind of teritories that you have [the UK and France] you are incapable of preserving even one square metre of land that would not be destroyed [by Putin's Russia], if you decide to get involved ..." (Russian Media Monitor: 15 May 2025: YouTube)

 

 Russian Media Monitor: 15 May 2025: YouTube

As also reported by Andrew Osborn (left) (Additional reporting by Guy Faulconbridge and Darya Korsunskaya),

"After Putin called for direct peace talks in Istanbul with Ukraine at a Kremlin news conference on Sunday, some ultra-nationalists were quick to voice their concerns.
A Russian negotiating team was in Turkey on Thursday for the talks, though it was unclear if they would happen, with Putin himself apparently not attending.

“Our war will continue until the complete liberation of Novorossiya and Malorossiya,” Konstantin Malofeyev, a nationalist tycoon who is married to a senior government official reporting directly to Putin, wrote in his blog on Monday, using terms that hark back to the Russian Empire and describe a swath of modern-day Ukraine once ruled by the Tsars." (Reuters: 15 May 2025) (my emphasis)

Given Putin's current paranoia about being 'assasinated' if he so much as steps out of his fortified Kremlin bunker, US president Trump's proposal of a "phone call"  between Putin and himself must come as some sort of minor relief for Putin from his current uncontrollable paranoid 'state of mind'. 

Sky News now reports that,

"Donald Trump has said he will speak to Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelenskyy separately on Monday in a bid to secure a ceasefire deal between Russia and Ukraine." (Sky News: 18 May 2025)  (my emphasis)

Whilst this may allay the fears of Putin being confronted by Ukraine's President Zelensky, nonetheless Putin's paranoia is further increased by the fact that,

"Mr Trump said he will speak to Mr Putin over the phone. He will then talk with Mr Zelenskyy and "various members of NATO", he wrote [on X]. (ibid Sky News)

Trump, it would seem, is gingerly drifting away from Putin and towards Zelensky and  "various members of NATO"

 

Oneindia News: 17 May 2025: YouTube

Given the 'bromance' between Trump and Putin, will Putin dare 'snub' Trump by not answering his call?

As Daryna Vialko (right) reported,

" …  American officials, who met with their European counterparts in Türkiye this week, expressed readiness to impose sanctions on Russia after Moscow announced it would send a low-level delegation to the talks.

"I’m hoping that it will move next week now that Putin has failed tocome to the table. President Trump has indicated he views sanctions favorably, our European allies are very supportive, I think the moment is now," Senator Richard Blumenthal said." (RBC Ukraine: 16 May 2025) (my emphasis) 

Aware of Trump viewing more 'sanctions' against Russia favourably, and mindful of the fact that the current Russian economy is, in the words of John Varga (left),

"Russia's supply of cheap oil is running out, another major blow for Vladimir Putin as he continues to grapple with a growing economic crisis. Businesses and consumers across the country are reeling under the effects of spiralling inflation and high interest rates." (Express: 14 May 2025) (my emphasis),

Putin is totally now in the hands of Donald Trump.

Putin now has nowhere to run to.

UPDATE: 18 May 2025: GMT 13:55

  It has just been reported by Gabriela Pomeroy and Bethany Bell that,

"Pope Leo XIV is to meet the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, the Vatican has said after his inauguration Mass.

The new Catholic leader highlighted his concerns about the war in Ukraine in his prayer at the end of the service, saying "the martyred Ukraine is waiting for negotiations for a just and lasting peace to finally happen".(BBC News: 18 May 2025) (my emphasis) 

The pressure on paranoid Putin to "negotiate" for a "just and lasting" peace in Ukraine has just increased dramatically.

The $64 question is,

"How will this affect Trump's 'dealmaking' call to Putin?"   

 

 

 

(to be continued)

Will Putin now press the "nuclear" button?

Sami Quadri (left) reported that,

"The United States will no longer act as a mediator in peace negotiations between Ukraine and Russia, the State Department has confirmed, signalling a shift in Washington’s role in the ongoing conflict." (Evening Standard: 3 May 2025) (my emphasis)

Quadri further reported that, [Tammy Bruce, a spokesperson for the department, said],

 “We will continue to help, but we will no longer fly around the world as mediators in meetings,” Ms Bruce told reporters. “Now it is up to the two sides, the time has come when they must present and develop concrete ideas on how to end this conflict. It will be up to them.” (ibid Sami Quadri) 

The Sun : 3 May 2025: Youtube

Furthermore, Jonathan Landay, Gram Slattery, Erin Banco and Steve Holland report that,

"U.S. officials have finalized new economic sanctions against Russia, including banking and energy measures, to intensify pressure on Moscow to embrace U.S. President Donald Trump’s efforts to end its war on Ukraine, according to three U.S. officials and a source familiar with the issue.

The targets include state-owned Russian energy giant Gazprom and major entities involved in the natural resources and banking sectors, said an administration official, who like the other sources requested anonymity to discuss the issue." (Reuters : 2 May 2025) (my emphasis)

As also reported by Big News Network,

"Lindsey Graham (left) says he has wide Senate backing for a bill that includes 500% tariffs on countries buying key Russian exports

US Senator Lindsey Graham has claimed broad Senate support for a bill that would enact "bone-crushing" new sanctions on Russia and impose steep tariffs on countries purchasing its key exports." (Big News Network: 1 May 2025) (my emphasis) 

Big News Network goes on to further report that US Senator Lindsey Graham stated that,

"The goal is to help the president... He talked about being frustrated," Graham told reporters, as cited by Bloomberg. In a post on Truth Social earlier this week, Trump suggested that Russian President Vladimir Putin might not want to stop the war, is "just tapping me along" and may need to be "dealt with differently, through banking or secondary sanctions." (ibid Big News Network)

 

Times of India: 4 May 2025: YouTube

Putin has been handed his "Divorce" papers by Trump, and Putin's immediate response has been to,

"President Vladimir Putin said in remarks published on Sunday that Russia had sufficient strength and resources to take the war in Ukraine to its logical conclusion, though he hoped that there would be no need to use nuclear weapons.
...
"We have enough strength and means to bring what was started in 2022 to a logical conclusion with the outcome Russia requires."" (Guy Faulconbridge (right) and Felix Light (left) : Reuters: 4 May 2025) (my emphasis)

Even Lavrov, that "dyed-in-the-wool" Soviet foreign minister, has now been forced to outline that BRICS is nothing more than the re-creation of the previous "Cold War" standoff  between the West and the former USSR.

Implicit in his Soviet-style speech he outlined Putin's attempt at recreating the "old style Cold War", together with the threat of WW3 i.e. "nuclear war"

 

Times of India: 1 May 2025: YouTube

Underpinning this  "bravado" of Putin and Lavrov lies the fact that,

"Russia is on course for a "painful economic squeeze" with energy bills set to soar 40% by 2028, stubbornly high inflation and real wages stagnating, a Ukrainian former central banker has said. (Jon King (left): Express: 4 May 2025) (my emphasis)

Furthermore,

"To make matters worse, Russia slashed its 2025 oil price forecast to $56/barrel — the lowest since COVID-19. Russia is burning through its future to sustain war. And of course, the people are footing the bill". Russian media reports also suggest a sharp rise in people defaulting on their mortgages and consumer loans in the first three months of the year." (ibid Jon King)

 

Inside Russia: 4 May 2025: YouTube

Will Putin now press the "nuclear" button?

UPDATE: 7 May 2025: 08:28 GMT

Rebecca Robinson (left) and Jon King (right) report that,

"Vladimir Putin has said the need to use nuclear weapons in Ukraine has not arisen and he hopes it won't." (Daily Express: 4 May 2025) (my emphasis)

They then go on to report that,

"Putin signed a revised version of Russia’s nuclear doctrine in November. It details the circumstances which would allow the Russian leader to use Moscow's atomic arsenal, the world’s largest. That version lowered the bar, giving him the option to use nuclear weapons in response to even a conventional attack backed by another nuclear power." (ibid Rebecca Robinson and Jon King)

In other words, even the UK and France, both nuclear powers, supplying Ukraine with defensive weaponry to be used in Putin's war with Ukraine now JUSTIFIES Putin using nuclear weapons against Ukraine.

Furthermore, as RTE also reports,

"The Russians are calling for a ceasefire [for 8-10 May to mark the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Soviet Union and its allies in World War Two] while striking Ukraine every single day. This is top-level cynicism: just this week alone, Russia has used over 1,180 attack drones, 1,360 guided aerial bombs, and 10 missiles of various types against Ukraine," Mr Zelensky said on the X social media platform." (RTE: 4 May 2025) (my emphasis)

Is it any wonder that Putin now threatens "nuclear war", and calls for a "ceasefire" so that his 'military parade' can, yet again, be a "puffing up of his chest" to show the world the ostensible might of the Russian armed forces, who now are desperately relying on North Korean soldiers to help in his FAILING war with Ukraine?

 

 

 

(to be continued)