The call between Trump and Putin, in which they discussed the fate of Ukraine, and as reported byLidia Kelly(left), reveals that,
"In an interview aboard Air Force One on Friday Trump said that he had "better not say," when asked how many times the two leaders have spoken." (Reuters: 9 February 2025) (my emphasis)
One can assume that, as in the case of the "private" Helsinki tête-à-tête in 2018 betweeen Trump and Putin, 'no notes were taken'.
"The meeting between Trump and Putin, which included translators, but no other aides or staffers, went overtime. The Wall Street Journal's Rebecca Ballhaus added that after the 90-minute mark, the two were supposed to be joined by staffers, but had not." (Elite Daily: 16 July 2018) (my emphasis)
Regarding the latest calls between Trump and Putin, Emma Burrows(left) reports that,
"Putin is closer than ever to achieving his objectives in the battle-weary country, with little incentive to come to the negotiating table, no matter how much U.S. President Donald Trump might cajole or threaten him, according to Russian and Western experts interviewed by The Associated Press.
Both are signaling discussions on Ukraine -– by phone or in person -– using flattery and threats." (AP: 8 February 2025) (my emphasis)
"Ukraine is reported to have wiped out the entire command of Russia's 35th Brigade in a deadly missile strike. ... The town was captured by the Russians in October last year and lies just 11 miles northwest of the strategically important city of Pokrovsk." (Express: 8 February 2025) (my emphasis)
"North Korean troops have been withdrawn from the frontline in Vladimir Putin’s Ukraine war, according to British military intelligence chiefs.
Pyongyang is believed to have sent some 11,000 soldiers to help Putin’s army recapture a swathe of the Kursk region of Russia which Ukrainian forces seized in a surprise attack last summer." (Evening Standard on MSN: 8 February 2025) (my emphasis)
"A new wave of battalion assaults on Russia’s Kursk region has given Kyiv fighters a three-mile gain behind enemy lines, according to a report from the Institute for the Study of War (ISW)." (Express: 7 February, 2025) (my emphasis)
"Britain will lead backroom talks to discuss arming Ukraine once hostilities with Russia are ended, sources said last night.
It centres on concerns that Russian leader Vladimir Putin will use any ceasefire that may be brokered by US President Donald Trump in coming months to reconstitute his battered armed forces before attempting a third invasion of Ukraine." (Express: 9 February 2025) (my emphasis)
Which, as reported by John Varga, Nicholas Cecil, Eleanor Burleigh, and Marco Giannangeli, rather questions the assertion of Emma Burrows(cf above) that, "Putin is closer than ever to achieving his objectives in the battle-weary country [i.e. Ukraine]"
Putin is, in fact, seeing his "Novorossiya" dreams about Ukraine crumbling on the battlefield and, as reported by Ukraine Today,
"Russian Economy Paralysed. New Sanctions Have Taken The Last Of Putin's Money!" (Ukraine Today: 6 February 2025: YouTube),
As this extension of, and addition to, EU economic sanctions against Putin come into force, Putin's delusions about achieving his original objectives in Ukraine are fast beginning to evaporate.
All that he now has left is "pure" bluster with which to try and convince Trump to come to his rescue.
The question is :-
"Will Trump fall for Putin's feeble 'bluster' about his defeating Ukraine?"
Finally another reason for Putin's war with Ukraine is fast emerging.
Alexander Smith (left) reports that,
"President Donald Trump says he wants access to Ukraine’s bonanza of rare earth and critical minerals in exchange for the billions of dollars in military aid Washington has been supplying to Kyiv.
It’s an idea previously suggested by Republican senators and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who sought to appeal to Trump’s dealmaker persona as a way of keeping alive Washington’s support of Kyiv." (NBC News: 4 February 2025) (my emphasis)
Alexander Smith goes on to report that,
"That impulse has prompted nervousness among Kyiv’s supporters that Trump may try to force a ceasefire favorable to Russian President Vladimir Putin. With Russia making steady battlefield gains, Putin has shown no appetite for a truce without significant territorial gains and a promise Ukraine will never join NATO." (ibid Alexander Smith)
"President Donald Trump said Monday that he wants to do a deal with Ukraine for access to the country's rare earth minerals in return for U.S. support in its war against Russia." (Mail Online: 3 February 2025) (my emphasis)
He goes on to report that,
"National security analysts say the U.S. has lost ground to China on securing access to the crucial elements.
That gives China leverage over the U.S. if Trump's plans to slap tariffs on Beijing trigger a global trade war." (ibid Rob Crilly)
"German Chancellor Olaf Scholz criticized U.S. President Donald Trump's proposal to tie military aid for Ukraine to access to the country's rare earth resources, calling it "very selfish and self-centered," Spiegel reported on Feb. 4.
Speaking after an informal meeting of European leaders in Brussels, Scholz (right) reportedly stressed that Ukraine should first be helped to "get back on its feet" and that its resources should be used for reconstruction after the war." (Kyiv Independent: 4 February 2025) (my emphasis)
But it is not only Putin's war in Ukraine that Trump views purely through the eyes of a possible "business proposition for the US".
Trump has also set his "business eyes" on Greenland and, more recently, on Gaza.
And as Ivana Kottasová(left) reported, earlier the Biden administration had,
"A memorandum of understanding prepared under the Biden administration last year said the US would promote investment opportunities in Ukraine’s mining projects to American companies in exchange for Kyiv creating economic incentives and implementing good business and environmental practices." (CNN: 4 February 2025) (my emphasis),
Trump's "quid-pro-quo" demands to have, "access
to Ukraine’s bonanza of rare earth and critical minerals in exchange
for the billions of dollars in military aid Washington has been
supplying to Kyiv" signifies a real political gulf between the EU and UK, and President Trump.
The EU and Britain sees Putin's war with Ukraine as a matter of European security, the international 'Rule of Law', and morality, whereas Trump seeems to view if purely in "business 'dealmaking' terms", as he now also views Gaza and Greenland.
Thus, as Ukrinform reports, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen (right) stated that,
"Ukraine's fight against Russian aggression is a defense of its right to freedom and its place in the European family. Therefore, its accession to the European Union is a matter of justice for Ukraine and security for the EU.
...
And this is not only about Ukraine. In a world where size and weight matter, and where small countries can be blackmailed more easily, it is in our shared interest to unite the European family," von der Leyen said." (Unrinform: 5 February 2025) (my emphasis)
Undescoring Ukraine's right to freedom and its place in the European family, Vlad Litnarovych reports that,
"The United Kingdom will deliver more military support to Ukraine in 2025 than ever before, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer (left) announced during a joint press conference with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in Brussels on February 3. … Starmer urged Ukraine’s allies, especially in Europe, to step up their support to help Kyiv sustain its defenses. … Earlier, the United Kingdom and Ukraine signed a 100-year partnership agreement to foster strong ties across the full range of relations, including trade, security, defense, science and technology, education, culture, and more." (United24: 4 February 2025) (my emphasis)
The fact that,
"A little over £6 trillion of Ukraine’s mineral resources, which is around 53 per cent of the country’s total, are contained in the four regions Mr Putin illegally annexed in September 2022, and of which his army occupies a considerable swathe." (Tom Watling: The Independent on MSN: 5 February 2025) (my emphasis)
further cements Putin's demands for Ukraine's full capitulation.
"Putin will not end the war soon and has planned a slow offensive": The Americans have no doubt that the Russians will continue to win, and Kiev will continue to lose territories. (Telegram "dimsmirnov175": Pravda EN: 5 February 2025) (my emphasis) Trump, with his demands of "access to Ukraine’s bonanza of rare earth and critical minerals in exchange for the billions of dollars in military aid to Kyiv", strengthens Putin's negotiating hand.
With Russia's economy failing, and Putin's army illegally occupying Ukraine's territory containing 53% of Ukraine's mineral resources, Trump may try to force a ceasefire favourable to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
UPDATE: 5 February 2025: 18:31 GM
Putin's TV political propaganda pundits discuss Trump following the Putin political 'road map' that demands the complete capitulation of Ukraine in the war he has unleashed on Ukraine for the SECOND time since 2014.
President Donald Trump’s selection as Director of National Intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, has undergone rigorous questioning from the Senate Intelligence Committee.
"Senators from both parties expressed serious concerns about whether they trust Gabbard in that crucial role." (Time on MSN: 30 January 2025) (my emphasis)
This 'mistrust' of Gabbard stems partly from the fact that she,
"...refused to recant past comments justifying Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. “Can’t we do better than somebody who can’t answer whether Snowden was a traitor five times today, who made excuses for Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine?”(ibid Brian Bennett)
Senator Bennet(right) stated during his Senate Hearing interview with Tulsi Gabbard,
"At the very moment that Russian tanks were rolling across the peaceful border of Ukraine for the first time, you tweeted at 11.30 pm, your time, "This war and suffering could have easily been avoided if the Biden administration/NATO had simply acknowledged Russia's legitimate ... legitimate ... security concerns regarding Ukraine becoming a member of NATO." (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: 30 January 2025: YouTube )
"Tulsi Gabbard, President-elect Donald Trump’s choice to lead the U.S. intelligence services, in 2022 endorsed one of Russia’s main justifications for invading Ukraine: the existence of dozens of U.S.-funded biolabs working on some of the world’s nastiest pathogens." (David Klepper, Ellen Knickmeyer and Edith M. Lederer: AP: 17 November 2024) (my emphasis) (cf. also: Rolling Stone: 5 December 2024)
And following on from Tulsi Gabbard's justification of Putin's invasion of Ukraine, Russian TV (cf. at end of Russian Media Monitor) extolled Tulsi Gabbard's antipathy towards Ukraine, and her support of Putin's arguments for re-invading Ukraine in 2022.
"Trump publicly sided with Putin over U.S. intelligence officials on whether Russia had interfered in the 2016 election to help him, and Trump has praised the Russian leader and even called him “pretty smart” for invading Ukraine." (AP: 31 January 2025) (my emphasis)
Which puts into perspctive Trump's choice of Tulsi Gabbart to become the Director of National Intelligence; Tulsi Gabbart who, "...refused to recant past comments justifying Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine." (ibid Brian Bennett)
Aamer Madhani and Will Weissert also report that,
"President Donald Trump on Friday (31 January 2025) said his administration has already had “very serious” discussions with Russia about its war in Ukraine and that he and Russian President Vladimir Putin could soon take “significant” action toward ending the grinding conflict." (ibid Aamer Madhani and Will Weissert)
These “very serious” discussions with Russia about its war in Ukraine, according to Redstateobserver, included,
Central to the proposal is a call for a ceasefire by Easter, which falls on April 20. This ceasefire would require Ukraine to withdraw its military presence from contested areas, signaling a new approach to resolving the ongoing conflict. (Redstateobserver: 31 January 2025) (my emphasis)
The proposal includes stipulations for Ukraine to refrain from seeking NATO membership while aiming for European Union integration by 2030. (ibid Redstateobserver)
Ukrainian military operations could continue under U.S. support, provided the terms favor a peace negotiation that acknowledges Russia's territorial claims.(ibid Redstateobserver)
France will deliver Mirage 2000 fighter jets to Ukraine by the end of the first quarter of 2025, according to the country’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Jean-Noël Barrot, who made the announcement on January 28 during a broadcast on Sud Radio. (Amira Barkhush: United24 Media: 28 January 2025)
So, in effect, Putin can continue to try to expand his invasion of Ukrainian territory through bombings and killings of Ukrainians until Easter, to satisfy his expansionist dream of re-creating "Novorossiya" on the lands of Ukraine.
"North Korean troops are no longer fighting on Russia’s behalf in Vladimir Putin’s war against Ukraine, according to reports. … Anonymous Western sources told the BBC earlier this month that there were 4,000 North Korean losses after just a few weeks of fighting, including 1,000 deaths. (HuffPost UK on MSN: 31 January 2025) (my emphasis)
Kim Jon Un, it would seem,
"... considers the 40% loss of North Korean troop deployed in Russia to date "unacceptable" "
About 90 Patriot missiles from Israel are being sent to Ukraine in a transfer facilitated by the United States, according to a US defense official. (Oren Liebermann: CNN: 28 January 2025) (my emphasis)
Sweden will provide Ukraine with 13.5 billion kronor (US$1.23 billion) in funding and equipment in its biggest military aid package yet, the government said on Thursday.(Rudy Ruitenberg: Defence News: 30 January 2025) (my emphasis)
YLE News reports that, "President Alexander Stubb has approved another military aid shipment to Ukraine, Finland's 27th since the Russian attack began nearly three years ago. He signed off on the government proposal on Friday." (YLE News: 31 January 2025) (my emphasis)
More critical for Putin, as reported by John Varga(left),
"Russia has suffered a major economic setback, after China and India halted their purchases of Kremlin oil. … Compounding Putin's problems, Indian banks have blocked payments for Russian oil imports due to the new sanctions." (Express: 29 January 2025) (my emphasis)
Putin is not alone in causing Russia to suffer economic setbacks because of his war with Ukraine.
It turns out that the American Enterprise Institute has determined that the US could have to increase their military budget by $800 billion if Trump allows Putin to defeat Ukraine.
"Analysis conducted at the American Enterprise Institute has determined that Russia defeating Ukraine would cost American taxpayers an additional $808 billion over what the U.S. has planned to spend on defense in the next five years. This is about seven times more than all the aid appropriated to the Pentagon to help Ukraine since Russia’s 2022 invasion.
This estimate is based on a scenario in which the U.S. stops providing aid and the resulting Russian victory requires us to adapt our military capabilities, capacity and posture in order to maintain our security." (The Hill: 30 January 2025)(my emphasis)
This is a bill that Trump may be saddled with in the next four years of his presidency.
Indeed, is Tulsi Gabbard even aware of this possible cost to the US of her support for a Putin success in Ukraine?
So the question is :-
"Whither the support of Putin's "Novorossiya" dreams by Trump?"
UPDATE: 2 February 2025
In an interview Zelenskyy says talks between US and Russia that exclude Ukraine would be ‘very dangerous’.
"Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says that excluding his country [Ukraine] from talks between the U.S. and Russia about the war in Ukraine would be “very dangerous.” Speaking on Saturday in an exclusive interview with The Associated Press, Zelenskyy also asked for more discussions between Kyiv and Washington to develop a plan for a ceasefire." (AP: 2 February 2025) (my emphasis)
"NATO fighter planes were scrambled today amid a Russian barrage of drones and missiles on civilian, energy and military sites in Ukraine." (Mail Online: 1 February 2025) (my emphasis)
Folker goes on to report that,
"The massive strikes may be a sign that Putin has no intention of ending the war on Ukraine which approaches its three-year mark this month." (ibid Robert Folker)
"Russian President Vladimir Putin is planning new attacks on Ukraine that could extend the war by another nine months, experts have claimed.
The move comes despite US President Donald Trump's attempts to get the Kremlin chief to the negotiating table for a peace plan.
The Institute for the Study of War (ISW), a respected Washington DC-based think tank, said that Russian forces plan to surround Kupianks, Kharkiv oblas, as well as other operations.
ISW claimed that this is proof that Putin has no intentions to end the war yet." (Daily Express on MSN: 1 February 2025) (my emphasis)
Which again raises the question,
"Whither the support of Putin's "Novorossiya" dreams by Trump?"
"Trump's urgency to save Putin is underscored by that fact that at Davos he stated that,
"Out efforts to secure a 'peace settlement' between Russia and Ukraine are now hopefully underway .. It's so important to get that underway"(Hindustan Times: 23 January 2025: YouTube) "
And the last few days underscores the rapidity with which Trump is ensuring that Putin becomes the victor in his war with Ukraine.
“We'd better meet and have a calm conversation on all issues of interest to both the US and Russia based on today's realities,” Putin said in a TV interview.
In the interview Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday also echoed U.S. President Donald Trump's claim the conflict in Ukraine could have been prevented had he been in the White House in 2022." (Euro News: 25 January 2025) (my emphasis)
"Putin's comments highlight a shift in global politics since the 2020 US elections. He also claimed that Trump's 2020 election loss was "stolen." These remarks have sparked debate about future US-Russia relations and the possibility of renewed cooperation if Trump returns to office in 2024" (Oneindia: 25 January 2025) (my emphasis)
It should be noted that,
"Putin doubted that Trump would act to lower global oil pricesto harm Moscow, citing potential risks to the US economy." (Oneindia : 25 January 2025)
"Secretary of State Marco Rubio halted spending Friday on most existing foreign aid grants for 90 days. The order, which shocked State Department officials, appears to apply to funding for military assistance to Ukraine.
Rubio’s guidance, issued to all diplomatic and consular posts, requires department staffers to issue “stop-work orders” on nearly all “existing foreign assistance awards,” according to the document, which was obtained by POLITICO. It is effective immediately." (Politico: 24 January 2025) (my emphasis)
Further supporting Putin, Trump is now also demanding that,
"Trump used Davos to warn Europe, demanding NATO allies raise defence spending to 5% of GDP and threatening tariffs on companies not manufacturing in the US. He linked lower oil prices to ending the Ukraine war and assured LNG exports to Europe would continue." (Piero Cingari (left): Euro News: 23 January 2024) (my emphasis)
as well as,
"President Donald Trump wants to withdraw 20,000 U.S. troops from Europe and demand a subsidy from allies to pay for the remaining American military presence on the Continent, Italy’s leading news agency reported this week. On Thursday, ANSA said Trump has been delivering his troop-cut message to European leaders since taking office Monday." (John Vandiver: Stars and Stripes: 24 January 2025) (my emphasis)
One can only imagine Putin's emboldenment following on from US president Trump's lifeline being thrown towards him.
Putin and his 'siloviki' are now relishing Zelensky being forced to capitulate fully to Putin's demands because of Trump's current actions regarding Putin's war with Ukraine.
The spectre of Putin's war-shadow now also readies itself to engulf the rest of Europe.
In my last blog entry (22 January 2025) I wrote that,
"Let us not forget that Putin illegally invaded Ukraine, and illegally incorporated into Russia that part of Ukraine his army still [illegally] occupies."
And true to form, the "bromance" between Putin and Trump is now plain for everyone in the world to see.
"President Donald Trump claimed in part two of a televised interview that the nearly three-year-old war between Russia and Ukraine that started when Moscow’s forces kicked off an [Putin's] invasion [of Ukraine] in 2022 was the fault of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s failure to preemptively capitulate before Russian troops began their attack. ... He added that had he been in Zelensky’s position he could have “made that deal so easily.” He claimed that it was the Ukrainian leader who decided on hostilities even though it was Putin who ordered the invasion of Ukraine that violated a 1994 agreement. Russia and the United States agreed then to guarantee Kyiv’s security in exchange for Ukraine’s government giving up Soviet-era nuclear weapons that had been stored there before the 1991 breakup of the Soviet Union." (The Independent on MSN: 24 January 2025) (my emphasis)
In his opening remarks to the assembled crowd at Davos (23 January 2025) , Trump stated that,
"Out efforts to secure a 'peace settlement' between Russia and Ukraine are now hopefully underway .. It's so important to get that underway"
It should be noted that earlier, during the 2024 US presidential race, he constantly pronounced that he would, "End the war in Ukraine on day one of taking office."
Trump is now loudly and internationally claiming that,
"[Putin's] invasion [of Ukraine] in 2022 was the fault of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s failure to preemptively capitulate before Russian troops began their attack." (ibid Andrew Feinberg)
Now recall that, as reported by Chris Samuel(right) only 3 days ago,
"Donald Trump has warned Vladimir Putin that "he's destroying Russia by not making a deal" as he eyes talks to end the war in Ukraine. (Express: 21 January 2025) (my emphasis)
NowTrump is claiming that Zelensky should have "capitulated" to Putin immediately he invaded Ukraine for the SECOND time in 2022.
Could this claim of Trump be due to the fact that, as reported by Martin Sandbu(left),
"The reality is that the financial underpinnings of Russia’s war economy increasingly look like a house of cards — so much so that senior members of the governing elite are publicly expressing concern." (Financial Times: 12 January 2025) (my emphasis)
Sandbu goes on to further point out that,
"A new report by Russia analyst and former banker Craig Kennedy(right)highlights the huge growth in Russian corporate debt. It has soared by 71 per cent since 2022 and dwarfs new household and government borrowing.
Notionally private [i.e. a Shadow Economy], this lending is in reality a creature of the state. Putin has commandeered the Russian banking system, with banks required to lend to companies designated by the government at chosen, preferential terms. The result has been a flood of below-market-rate credit to favoured economic actors." (ibid Martin Sandbu)
Trump, it would now seem, is intent on saving Putin, notwithstanding his warning to Putin that,
"He
[Putin] should make a deal. I think he's destroying Russia by not making a
deal.
"I think Russia's going to be in big trouble," the Republican firebrand added." (ibid Chris Samuel)
Trump's urgency to save Putin is underscored by that fact that at Davos he stated that,
"Out efforts to secure a 'peace settlement' between Russia and Ukraine are now hopefully underway .. It's so important to get that underway"(Hindustan Times: 23 January 2025: YouTube)
Unlike at Helsinki in 2018, when Putin seemed to be in charge of Trump; Trump is now in charge of Putin's destiny.
The call between Trump and Putin, in which they discussed the fate of Ukraine, and as reported by Lidia Kelly (left), reveals that,
Meanwhile, as John Varga reports (left), 
