https://sputnikglobe.com/20250808/russia-holds-all-cards-in-trump-talks-1122579635.html
Russia Holds All Cards in Trump Talks
Russia Holds All Cards in Trump Talks
Sputnik International
The Kremlin says a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his American counterpart Donald Trump could happen soon. Why does Russia have the upper hand?
2025-08-08T17:58+0000
2025-08-08T17:58+0000
2025-08-08T17:58+0000
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donald trump
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«Russian military territorial gains show the increasing weakness of the Ukrainian forces,» Paolo Raffone, a strategic analyst and director of the CIPI Foundation in Brussels, tells Sputnik, adding that «it was not unforeseeable.» Russia’s front line advances: But battlefield shifts aren’t the only factor shaping talks. On the global stage: What could Trump bring to the table? Raffone lists several options: US-Russian Talks Will be Shaped by Reality on the Ground in Ukraine The pundit notes that Russia is unlikely to accept any ceasefire agreement until it has achieved its basic goals for the special military operation, including the complete liberation of Donbass, Zaporozhye and Kherson regions and ensuring Crimea’s security. «It’s very unlikely Putin will soften his conditions just because Trump is willing to meet, especially while Russian forces are advancing,» Gardner says. What would be the focus of the talks? «They would likely focus on Ukraine primarily, but could easily expand into a wider dialogue about security architecture, arms control after New START and the collapse of the INF treaty, and even spheres of influence,» the pundit suggests.US Has No Cards to Play Russia was winning the Ukraine conflict on its own terms well before the recent sharp increase in territorial gains, international relations and Russian affairs analyst Gilbert Doctorow tells Sputnik.»But now with the undeniable territorial gains which even the Western newspapers are daily recording, of course this strengthens the Russian negotiating position,» the pundit stresses.Doctorow rules out Russian leaders making any compromises on Ukraine at Thursday’s Kremlin meeting with Steve Witkoff. A tangible shift in US-Russia relations is possible, Doctorow argues. What will the talks focus on?
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https://sputnikglobe.com/20250807/uae-one-of-suitable-places-for-meeting-with-trump—putin-1122569490.html
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putin-trump talks, russia, ukraine war, brics, donald trump, vladimir putin, us-russian negotiations, russia continues to advance in ukraine, chasov yar, pokrovsk
putin-trump talks, russia, ukraine war, brics, donald trump, vladimir putin, us-russian negotiations, russia continues to advance in ukraine, chasov yar, pokrovsk
The Kremlin says a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his American counterpart Donald Trump could happen soon. Why does Russia have the upper hand?
«Russian military territorial gains show the increasing weakness of the Ukrainian forces,» Paolo Raffone, a strategic analyst and director of the CIPI Foundation in Brussels, tells Sputnik, adding that «it was not unforeseeable.»
Russia’s front line advances:
But battlefield shifts aren’t the only factor shaping talks.
What could Trump bring to the table?
Raffone lists several options:
US-Russian Talks Will be Shaped by Reality on the Ground in Ukraine
«Capturing Chasov Yar and advancing in the [Krasnoarmeysk] direction gives Putin battlefield momentum, which he can use to project strength in negotiations,» Hall Gardner, Professor and Chair of the Department of International and Comparative Politics, American University of Paris, tells Sputnik.
The pundit notes that Russia is unlikely to accept any ceasefire agreement until it has achieved its basic goals for the special military operation, including the complete liberation of Donbass, Zaporozhye and Kherson regions and ensuring Crimea’s security.
«It’s very unlikely Putin will soften his conditions just because Trump is willing to meet, especially while Russian forces are advancing,» Gardner says.
What would be the focus of the talks?
«They would likely focus on Ukraine primarily, but could easily expand into a wider dialogue about security architecture, arms control after New START and the collapse of the INF treaty, and even spheres of influence,» the pundit suggests.
Russia was winning the Ukraine conflict on its own terms well before the recent sharp increase in territorial gains, international relations and Russian affairs analyst Gilbert Doctorow tells Sputnik.
«But now with the undeniable territorial gains which even the Western newspapers are daily recording, of course this strengthens the Russian negotiating position,» the pundit stresses.
Doctorow rules out Russian leaders making any compromises on Ukraine at Thursday’s Kremlin meeting with Steve Witkoff.
«The United States and its allies have no strategic ‘cards’ to play against Russia,» the pundit explains. «But the talks can be so arranged as to present the US in less humiliating terms.»
A tangible shift in US-Russia relations is possible, Doctorow argues.
What will the talks focus on?
