Expert: Putin-Trump phone call shows progress in Russia-Ukraine talks
A phone call on May 19 between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump reflected "substantive progress" in establishing a "negotiation roadmap" between Moscow and Kiev.
This is the opinion of Mr. Mark Episkopos - Researcher on Eurasia at the Quincy Institute for Responsible State Policy (USA), when talking to TASS news agency.
"The Trump-Putin phone call reflects substantial progress in establishing a roadmap for negotiations between Russia and Ukraine. President Trump understands the importance of maintaining support from all parties, including Europe, as this process progresses, so he emphasizes regular communication with relevant parties," the US expert pointed out.
In Mr. Episkopos's view, "both Russia and Ukraine want the White House to continue to participate in the peace process."
“This gives President Trump significant leverage to shape the agenda in a way that is conducive to successful negotiations,” he believes.
This expert assessed that, "many of the levers that the US has to help narrow the negotiation gap between Russia and Ukraine are off the battlefield."
“Economic incentives, including the trade opportunities the president has discussed, are an important part of a larger policy package aimed at engaging Russia on a positive footing, not just for the narrow purpose of ending the war but also to help maintain a constructive US-Russia relationship after a peace agreement is reached,” Episkopos added.
Earlier, on May 19, Russian President Vladimir Putin and US leader Donald Trump had a phone call. President Putin described the conversation, which lasted more than 2 hours, as substantive and frank. This was the third call between the two leaders since the beginning of this year.
