In a conversation with Trump, Putin promoted the idea of Russia’s “victory” — ISW
During a phone call with Donald Trump on April 29, Russian dictator Vladimir Putin used the conversation to promote his own narratives regarding the war against Ukraine.
According to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), the Kremlin attempted to convince his counterpart of Russia’s “inevitable victory.” Moscow also likely sought to persuade the U.S. to increase pressure on Ukraine.
This is reported with reference to a report by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).
According to their findings, the Kremlin sought to reaffirm the immutability of its initial military objectives and present Russia’s victory as inevitable.
“Russian President Vladimir Putin used his April 29 phone call with U.S. President Donald Trump to reaffirm his commitment to his original military objectives and advance his cognitive warfare efforts by falsely portraying Ukraine’s defense as crumbling and Moscow’s victory in Ukraine as inevitable,” the report states.
According to the ISW, these statements do not reflect the actual situation on the front lines. Ukrainian forces are largely holding back the Russian advance and thwarting their plans for the 2026 spring-summer campaign.
According to Russian Presidential Aide Yuri Ushakov, the conversation between Putin and Trump lasted about an hour and a half. During the call, the Russian leader spoke of Russia’s alleged “strategic initiative” and asserted that Moscow would achieve its goals “in any case,” though it “would prefer” to do so through diplomatic means.
Analysts emphasize that the Kremlin is systematically attempting to shift the blame for the lack of progress in negotiations onto Ukraine, accusing it of “intransigence,” despite the absence of any real concessions on the part of Russia.
At the same time, the ISW emphasizes that Putin’s claims about the alleged weakness of Ukrainian defenses are false. Ukrainian troops continue to effectively hold back Russian forces, particularly in the Donetsk region, inflicting significant losses on them.
Separately, analysts draw attention to Russia’s internal problems—economic difficulties, rising casualties, and challenges in recruiting new troops.
“The Kremlin is likely attempting to mitigate some of these costs by trying to persuade President Trump and the entire West to push Ukraine toward capitulation in a way that it failed to do during the full-scale Russian invasion, and is concealing its own military and economic failures as part of these efforts,” the report notes.
Earlier, it was reported that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy instructed his representatives to contact Donald Trump’s team to clarify the details of Russia’s proposal for a “ceasefire” on May 9
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