Russia is openly ignoring Donald Trump's calls to end the war in Ukraine because Vladimir Putin believes Ukraine's defenses could soon collapse, The New York Times reported, citing sources close to the Kremlin.
The Russian president believes that Russia's advantage on the battlefield is growing and Ukraine's defenses could collapse in the coming months. They also reported that Putin believes it is impossible to stop the fighting now unless Ukraine agrees to significant concessions.
Analyst Tatyana Stanovaya at the Center for Political Technologies said that Vladimir Putin will not sacrifice his goals in Ukraine for the sake of improving relations with Donald Trump.
The apparent shift in Trump's rhetoric, from compliments to public criticism of Putin, does not seem to bother the Kremlin too much. Moscow is taking criticism directed at his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin by U.S. President Donald Trump quite calmly, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.
Informants say that Putin is generally pleased with his interactions with Trump this year. The very fact that direct talks between the Russian and American leaders have resumed is a breakthrough for the Kremlin, ending a three-year diplomatic isolation.
In this context, the AP reported that the Trump administration has resumed sending some types of weapons to Ukraine, a week after the Pentagon ordered certain deliveries to be halted. The weapons now moving to Ukraine include 155-millimeter ammunition and precision-guided missiles, two White House officials said.
President Donald Trump announced on Monday that the United States would continue to provide defensive weapons to Ukraine. He dodged questions about who ordered the pause in talks with reporters this week. "I'll know if a decision is made. I'll know. I'll be the first to know. In fact, I would probably give the order, but I haven't done it yet," Trump said.