Media: Trump still seeking closer ties with Putin As US retreats from Ukraine peace talks

U.S. President Donald Trump is continuing to pursue closer relations with Russian President Vladimir Putin, even as his administration retreats from efforts to broker peace in the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war.

According to officials familiar with internal deliberations, Trump’s priority has shifted from seeking a resolution to the conflict toward cultivating a more cooperative relationship with Moscow—potentially through new trade deals and diplomatic overtures, Caliber.Az reports, citing Atlantic.

Though Trump had previously insisted that only he could end the war—repeatedly saying, “I’ll have that done in 24 hours”—plans for a high-profile peace summit with Putin have now been shelved. “Trump still wants to establish closer ties with Putin,” one official said, noting that while a meeting between the two leaders remains a possibility, it is no longer expected to focus on ending the fighting in Ukraine.

The change in strategy followed recent calls between Trump, Putin, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. After those conversations, Trump made clear that he no longer intends to personally broker a peace agreement. “If it doesn’t [happen], I just back away, and they’re going to have to keep going. This was a European situation. It should have remained a European situation,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. 

The retreat marks a major shift from months of behind-the-scenes efforts by the U.S. to push for a cease-fire. Now, officials say the Trump administration will step back, leaving Europe to take the lead. This move is widely seen as a diplomatic win for Russia, allowing it to continue its offensive while avoiding new U.S. consequences.

Despite the shift, Trump has framed the resumption of direct talks between Russia and Ukraine—hosted last week in Istanbul—as a success. He claimed on Truth Social that Putin had agreed to “immediately” begin negotiations with Ukraine. However, officials point out that such talks were already underway and that Trump’s willingness to move negotiations forward without insisting on a 30-day cease-fire effectively gives Moscow more time to expand its gains on the battlefield.

“Vladimir Putin wants to keep the war going,” said Jake Sullivan, President Joe Biden’s former national security adviser. “He thinks that terrorizing cities will weaken their morale… [and] by agreeing to talks—even in vague, toothless terms—Putin had done enough to placate Trump for now.”

Trump’s long-standing admiration for Putin and scepticism toward Europe continue to shape his foreign policy. In a Truth Social post, Trump wrote: “Russia wants to do largescale TRADE with the United States when this catastrophic ‘bloodbath’ is over, and I agree. There is a tremendous opportunity for Russia to create massive amounts of jobs and wealth. Its potential is UNLIMITED.” Advisers say he is especially interested in negotiating deals involving Russia’s rare-earth minerals.

Kylie Newbold, a spokesperson for Trump’s National Security Council, sought to pin responsibility for the conflict on the previous administration: “This is a war we inherited—it is Biden’s war. There was no plan or strategy to bring the conflict and killing to an end, but now under President Trump the two sides are agreeing to the first direct talks in three years. This is an important step forward.”

Still, Trump’s disengagement has raised concern in Kyiv. Zelenskyy, who has been more publicly conciliatory toward Trump in recent months, expressed alarm about the prospect of Washington withdrawing from the talks. “The negotiation process must involve both American and European representatives at the appropriate level,” he said on X.

While some intelligence sharing and aid from Washington to Ukraine continue, Trump’s wavering commitment has sparked political backlash. Senator Lindsey Graham has broken with the president, backing a bipartisan bill that would impose tough sanctions on Russia—and potentially on nations doing business with Moscow—if Putin fails to engage seriously in peace talks. The measure has drawn support from nearly 80 senators, a veto-proof majority.

“Trump is being played by Putin,” said Senator Richard Blumenthal, who co-sponsored the bill. “He’s in again and out again in his attempts to make a deal.”

Meanwhile, the burden of sustaining Ukraine’s defence is falling increasingly on Europe. European leaders have rallied around Kyiv, but they lack the scale and capacity of U.S. support. A continued American withdrawal could lead to further Russian territorial gains and reinforce perceptions of Trump’s distrust of traditional alliances.

“We need to know who we can count on, and who we can’t,” Zelenskyy told reporters this week. “As for the package from the United States—that’s a different story.”

By Aghakazim Guliyev