S E E D E D   C O N T E N T

President Donald Trump's lengthy phone call with Vladimir Putin yielded no major breakthrough and led some European officials to accuse the U.S. president of handing his Russian counterpart a win.

The leaders spoke for two hours on Monday as part of Washington's latest attempt to bring the three-year conflict with Ukraine to an end.

After the call, Trump hinted that the U.S. would no longer play a direct role in peace talks. He also refused to impose fresh sanctions on Russia to ramp up pressure on Putin to take negotiations seriously.

"Europe remains shocked" by what it sees as abandonment by Washington, "the previous anchor in the Western alliance," Swedish economist Anders slund, who has served as an economic adviser to both the governments of Russia and Ukraine, told Newsweek.

Former Swedish Prime Minister Carl Bildt said on X (formerly Twitter) that the call was "undoubtedly a win for Putin."

Newsweek has contacted Russia's Foreign Ministry for comment by email.

Why It Matters

Monday's call fell short of expectations, dashing hopes that it would represent a major turning point in Trump's pledge to broker peace. Trump had threatened to walk away unless more progress was made, and has since said the key to unlocking peace in Ukraine is a meeting between him and Putin, which he wants to happen as soon as possible. The call was a step towards a meeting.

But Ukraine and its European allies want Trump to increase the pressure on Putin via sanctions and more military aid for Kyiv to strengthen its position in negotiations. They don't believe Putin will stop the invasion on agreeable terms unless he is forced to do so.

What To Know

After the call, Trump said Moscow and Kyiv would resume direct negotiations on a possible ceasefire, while once again saying the U.S. would exit the process if talks stall.

"I think something's going to happen. And if it doesn't, I just back away and they're going to have to keep going," he told reporters, calling the talks "productive."

The Kremlin said the phone call was "frank and friendly," revealing that the two leaders addressed each other by their first names and neither wanted to hang up first.

Trump "is stepping away," one senior European diplomat briefed on the call told the Financial Times. "Supporting and financing Ukraine, putting pressure on Russia: that's all on us now."

Aslund, a senior fellow at the Stockholm Free World Forum, adjunct professor at Georgetown University and author of Russia's Crony Capitalism, said Trump was capitulating to Putin.

"In all his actions related to Russia, Trump indicates that he is merely a junior partner to Putin, accepting his master's positions and never raising any real criticism even if he tries to cover his back sometimes with some quibbles," he said.

"We had better realize that personally Trump is a friend and ally of Putin," Aslund added. "The question is to what extent the U.S. polity is still able to range Trump in. Europe remains shocked by having been abandoned by the previous anchor in the Western alliance."

Germany's defense minister, Boris Pistorius, said Putin should be judged by his actions, not words, and that he is "continuing to play for time" with "lip service" after his call with Trump.

Both Kyiv and Moscow have refused to budge as Russia continues to demand that Ukraine recognize its occupied territories as Russian and abandon its NATO ambitions—demands Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky firmly rejects, refusing to cede any territory to Putin.

What People Are Saying

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Monday: "It is crucial for all of us that the United States does not distance itself from the talks and the pursuit of peace, because the only one who benefits from that is Putin."

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said: "There are no deadlines and there cannot be any. It is clear that everyone wants to do this as quickly as possible, but, of course, the devil is in the details."

Former Swedish Prime Minister Carl Bildt said on X (formerly Twitter): "Undoubtedly a win for Putin as he deflected the call for an an immediate ceasefire and instead can continue military operations at the same time as he puts pressure on [Ukraine] at the negotiating table. Putin undoubtedly intends to talk about ceasefire until all his conditions on limiting [Ukraine's] sovereignty are met.

German Defense Minsiter Pistorius said: "I think it's fair to say that yesterday's conversation once again confirmed: statements are being made by the Russian side, but there is still no evidence for the declared intentions...Vladimir Putin is evidently continuing to play for time—that is also very clear to see. And so, even though Russia is willing to talk about a memorandum, there is still no ceasefire in sight...That is, at least, my assessment. There is no timeline. So unfortunately, one has to say that Putin still does not appear to be seriously interested in peace or a ceasefire—at least not under conditions that are acceptable to others."

Elina Beketova, fellow at the Center for European Policy Analysis (CEPA), told Newsweek: "I don't believe the Russians are genuinely interested in making meaningful concessions to Donald Trump, but they also won't withdraw from the negotiation process. They'll continue to engage diplomatically while simultaneously escalating attacks. At this point, only sanctions and credible deterrence mechanisms can make a difference."

Jon Sweet, retired U.S. Army military intelligence officer, told Newsweek: "Putin is not interested in a ceasefire or peace deal; rather, as his Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov stated: 'Russia will accept nothing less than total victory over Ukraine.'

"Team Trump is running out of excuses for Putin. Ukraine can still defeat Russia, but only if Washington can rediscover the intestinal fortitude it once had in the likes of Commanding Generals Ulysses S. Grant and George S. Patton when winning was the only acceptable outcome."

What Happens Next

Direct Russia-Ukraine talks are due to resume, Trump has said. But Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said coming to an agreement on peace with Ukraine is likely to be a painstaking and long process.

President Donald Trump (L) and Russian President Vladimir Putin arrive to waiting media during a joint press conference after their summit on July 16, 2018 in Helsinki, Finland.President Donald Trump (L) and Russian President Vladimir Putin arrive to waiting media during a joint press conference after their summit on July 16, 2018 in Helsinki, Finland.Chris McGrath/Getty Images