These warnings underscore a deep sense of unease in European capitals over how far Trump, who portrays himself as the ultimate dealmaker, can actually get in clinching a viable peace deal with Putin.
After the Trump-Putin call, the White House said the two sides had agreed that a “movement to peace” would begin with an energy and infrastructure ceasefire, meaning a halt to the attacks that are hurting both economies. However, there was no deal on a 30-day ceasefire, which will be the subject of talks beginning “immediately” in the Middle East.
Hours later, in Ukraine, Russia’s continued bombing of the country’s energy infrastructure belied Putin’s promises to halt such attacks.
“Right now, in many regions, you can literally hear what Russia truly needs. Around 40 ‘Shahed’ drones are in our skies, and air defense is active,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wrote on X. “It is these types of nighttime attacks by Russia that destroy our energy sector, our infrastructure, and the normal life of Ukrainians … Today, Putin effectively rejected the proposal for a full ceasefire.”
Europe wary of Moscow
In the Russian readout of his conversation with Trump, Putin demanded an end to mobilization in Ukraine and the rearmament of the Ukrainian military, calling for “the complete cessation of foreign military aid and intelligence sharing.”
Braže and Vseviov were among dozens of top European defense officials and diplomats who flocked to a major security and development conference in India this week, where the Russia-Ukraine war dominated the agenda. India has maintained close ties with both the West and Russia, giving it outsized influence as an intermediary between the rival powers as both sides assess a possible peace deal.