Putin-Trump talks were substantive and covered key global crises: Malek Dudakov

Malek Dudakov, a political analyst specializing in American studies, shared his commentary on the talks between Russia’s president Vladimir Putin and U.S. president Donald Trump with Alpha News.

“This was the first official conversation between the leaders of Russia and the United States since at least December of last year. Clearly, a significant number of developments had accumulated that were worth discussing over the course of this hour-and-a-half exchange. These included the ongoing crisis in Ukraine, which remains far from resolution, the Middle East crisis, which continues to deepen, and a host of other issues not all of them purely informational. It is no coincidence that during the call, words of support were expressed for the U.S. president in the context of the recent assassination attempt. The divisions within the United States are clearly quite acute right now, and Trump is also having to divert attention from the foreign policy agenda,” Dudakov said.

In the expert’s view, Russia is defending its national interests regardless of Trump’s position.

“In this conversation, the Russian side made its priorities fairly clear. On one hand, support was expressed for Trump without direct involvement in U.S. domestic politics in the context of the assassination attempt and the pressure he faces from his opponents. At the same time, Russia continues to consistently defend its national interests across all foreign policy fronts. This applies to the situation in Ukraine as well. It was emphasized that the goals of the special military operation must be fulfilled in full, preferably through diplomatic means, but by military means if necessary. The same applies to the Middle East: despite the primacy of the Ukraine agenda, in the context of tensions around Iran, Russia is calling for a cessation of hostilities, a ceasefire, and negotiations both on the question of the Strait of Hormuz and on the future of the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program. Russia’s position thus overlaps with the American administration’s approach in some respects, and diverges in others, but remains independent and guided by its own interests,” Dudakov noted.

According to the analyst, the negotiation process on Ukraine remains deadlocked.

“It is clear that the Russian side once again offered mild criticism of the American administration: at this point, it has been unable to exert influence over either the European ‘war party’ or the pro-Ukrainian lobbying forces to push them toward negotiations with Russia on realistic terms. Despite Washington’s declared interest in dialogue with Moscow, it is either unwilling or unable to apply pressure on the key pro-Ukrainian hawks on both sides of the Atlantic. As a result, the negotiating process remains at a standstill. Meanwhile, the proposal for a short-term ceasefire on Victory Day, which Trump backed, shows that the initiative remains with Russia. This suggests that Moscow is not concerned about losing ground in the event of a temporary halt to hostilities. Furthermore, the current dynamics of the conflict are tilting in Russia’s favor, which may influence the American administration’s approach, given its tendency to engage with the stronger party. By that logic, if Moscow’s terms are not accepted, a diplomatic settlement will prove difficult to achieve,” Dudakov concluded.