Trump and Putin on the secret phone call: peace or trade interest?

Trump and Putin on the secret phone call: peace or trade interest?

On Monday, May 20, 2025, US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin made a call for discussing the conflict in Ukraine. According to information from Krone , the revival of trade relationships between Russia and the USA was also discussed in this conversation. Trump expressed truth social that Russia could do large trading volume with the USA after the “bloodbath”.

The European and Ukrainian reaction to Trump's attitude of not wanting to put Putin under sanctions was shocked. Ursula von der Leyen, the President of the European Commission, described the conversation as "good" and emphasized the importance of the commitment of the United States. At the same time, the EU is planning to decide on Tuesday the 17th sanction package against Russia, which is intended to encourage the Russian shadow fleet for the transport of oil and other companies, circumvent the existing sanctions or support the Russian armaments industry.

negotiations and pressure on Russia

Trump also announced immediate negotiations in the Vatican about an ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine. He emphasized that the war was a "bloodbath" and that he believes that Putin is actually interested in the end of the conflict. However, this is in contrast to the negative attitude of the Ukrainian President Wolodymyr Selenskyj, who rejected Russian conditions for a ceasefire, in particular the deduction of Ukrainian troops from annexed areas. The Ukrainian government also expects new sanctions by the United States, which have not been announced for the time being.

Europeans and especially the heads of state and government are concerned about the impression that Trump does not put enough pressure on москва. An ex-ambassador said that the phone call could be a point victory for Putin and there are concerns about Trump's willingness to sacrifice the interests of Ukraine. In the conversation, a possible personal meeting between the two presidents was also discussed, which should be result -oriented. Last direct conversations between Russia and Ukraine had taken place in Turkey, but were without agreement.

sanctions and economic effects

The EU has already passed a 16th sanction package, which includes export and import bans, which includes the exclusion of Russian banks from the Swift system and suspensions of round-dark licenses. These sanctions aim to increase the pressure on President Putin. Despite the embargo, Russian oil continues to reach Europe via foreign, often scrap -gripping oil tankers. A new sanction package should counteract this Russian shadow fleet.

Current forecasts show that the inflation rate in Russia was 9.9 percent in January 2025, an increase compared to the previous year. In addition, the Russian economy is growing, but the population sees little of this growth, since expenses for social purposes, education and health decrease.

The effectiveness of the sanctions depends largely on compliance and monitoring. A return to previous relationships between Russia and Europe is considered unlikely, especially if you consider the planned negotiations between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin. These could undermine the ongoing sanction efforts, which has already caused the first concerns. The way to solve the conflict remains uncertain and exciting.