PUTIN'S BRUSH-OFF

The Kremlin appears in no rush to negotiate peace with Ukraine—despite Trump’s efforts

- SIMON SHUSTER

IT WAS AROUND MIDNIGHT IN MOSCOW WHEN Vladimir Putin took a call from the White House.

President Donald Trump had just spent several hours, on Aug. 18, in meetings with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and seven other leaders from Europe who had come along in a frantic effort to shore up U.S. support for the Ukrainian position. Now Trump was telling Putin about what he believed needed to be the next step: the leaders of the warring sides, Trump said, should meet in person and try to make progress toward peace. Putin seemed to have other plans.

After the call, the Kremlin issued a mealymouthed statement, suggesting that it might be worth “exploring the possibility of raising the level of representatives” in future peace talks. Whatever that means, it seemed a long way from accepting Trump’s suggestion that Putin himself sit down with Zelensky.

On other points, too, the Russians reverted to their familiar methods of wartime diplomacy: making threats, issuing demands, and playing for time.

The threats from Moscow became especially aggressive when it came to the central questions of the closely watched talks at the White House: If a peace agreement were reached, how could it be secured? Who would guarantee that peace? And by what means?