Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin need to get their story straight, because they’re both telling different tales about negotiations to end Russia’s violent incursion into Ukraine.
Trump bragged Monday about working with Putin while recapping his meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron and other G7 leaders about next steps to deescalate the war in Ukraine.
“I am in serious discussions with President Vladimir Putin of Russia concerning the ending of the War, and also major Economic Development transactions which will take place between the United States and Russia,” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social. “Talks are proceeding very well!”
But, surprise, surprise, it seems Putin is on an entirely different page.
During remarks on Russian state television Monday, Putin said he had yet to have any detailed talks with Trump about ending the conflict in Ukraine, according to the Associated Press.
The autocrat added that Russian and American negotiating teams hadn’t discussed ending the war, either, during a meeting in Saudi Arabia last week.
So, which is it, “serious discussions” or conversations lacking in details? The muddled answers could suggest something is awry in negotiations, if one can even call Trump’s endless capacity for caving to Putin’s every demand a negotiation.
There’s reason to believe that Trump’s supposed statesmanship might be falling apart. Last week, Trump accused Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy of being responsible for Russia’s invasion, enjoying a “gravy train” from the United States, and even calling him a “Dictator Without Elections.”
During their joint press conference Monday, Macron was forced to fact-check Trump, after the president misrepresented the agreement they had just made.
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