After Putin's 2.5-hour call with Trump, some in Russia see a diplomatic victory

In the lead-up to the telephone betwixt Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump connected Tuesday, hosts connected Russia's authorities media were buzzing with anticipation.

One broadcaster connected the transmission Russia 1 described it arsenic "the astir important telephone speech successful the modern world."

When the 2½-hour telephone wrapped, Russian media were speedy to enactment that it was the longest 1 ever betwixt a U.S. and Russian president. And that unsocial was capable for immoderate to statement it a diplomatic victory.

"It's present official: this is the cleanable telephone conversation," wrote Kirill Dmitriev, Putin's peculiar envoy connected planetary economical co-operation, on X.

While the readouts released by the White House and the Kremlin were scant and lone revealed what each broadside wanted to contiguous arsenic the large takeaways — including an statement to halt attacks connected vigor infrastructure successful Ukraine — Trump called the speech "very good," and the Kremlin noted that some leaders understood and trusted each other.

It was a blunt motion of the warming relations betwixt Washington and Moscow, and reaffirms the accidental that Russia envisions with the Trump administration, which could widen beyond the battlefields of Ukraine.

After Russia launched its full-scale penetration of Ukraine, its already antagonistic narration with the West dramatically worsened. It became a pariah successful immoderate geopolitical circles, and successive sanctions near it mostly chopped off from European and North American markets.

"Russia is successful a unspeakable economical information ... but that's the terms Russia pays for Putin's ambitions," said Boris Bondarev, a erstwhile Russian diplomat, who resigned his post in protestation implicit Russia's invasion. 

Bondarev believes Putin has a program to halt his warfare connected Ukraine, and is apt conscionable waiting to spot what the Trump medication offers. 

Warming relations

During the call, the Kremlin said the 2 leaders discussed the request to amended bilateral relations, question retired economical co-operation and that they mightiness adjacent put planetary hockey matches betwixt the 2 sides.

It was an effort to reboot an historical rivalry done sports diplomacy at a clip erstwhile astir Russian teams are presently banned from planetary competition.

Putin did not hold to the U.S. connection for a full, unconditional ceasefire successful Ukraine, but said helium supported a smaller determination to halt attacks connected vigor infrastructure for 30 days. 

WATCH | Trump, Putin hold to 30-day halt successful attacks connected vigor infrastructure successful Ukraine conflict:

However, some Ukraine and Russia launched aerial attacks overnight and accused each different of hitting vigor sites.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russia launched 150 drones overnight, including immoderate that targeted vigor facilities. Zelenskyy said 2 Ukrainian hospitals were deed successful the attack.

During the telephone with Trump, Putin appeared to reiterate his conditions for a afloat ceasefire, which see the blocking of each Western subject assistance to Ukraine as good arsenic a halt to intelligence-sharing. 

But successful an interrogation with Fox News, Trump said subject assistance wasn't discussed. 

While the nonstop details of the speech stay unclear, it does not look Putin was forced to wantonness immoderate of his alleged conditions for ending the warfare and some sides said negotiations would proceed connected Ukraine. 

The White House and the Kremlin besides said the leaders talked astir the situation successful the Middle East. Tatiana Stanovaya, a Russian governmental expert and laminitis of the analysis firm R. Politik, said this "marks an evident triumph for Putin," arsenic it signals determination tin beryllium U.S.-Russia co-operation connected cardinal planetary issues.

"The process of separating the Ukraine contented from broader U.S.-Russia bilateral relations is gaining momentum," she wrote connected the societal media level Telegram.

"Putin managed to cull the connection for a afloat ceasefire portion turning the concern to his vantage without making concessions."

Economic potential

On Wednesday, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said some Putin and Trump are alert of the "enormous potential" for galore associated commercialized projects.

Special envoy Dmitriev mused astatine a concern forum connected Wednesday about what committedness the improved narration with Washington could bring.

After addressing oligarchs and entrepreneurs connected Wednesday, Dmitriev told reporters galore U.S. companies that near the Russian marketplace successful 2022 would beryllium seeking to return, and the champion mode to bash that would beryllium to spouse with Russian companies. 

He said Russia's abstraction agency, Roscosmos, was funny successful gathering with Elon Musk, who heads SpaceX (as good as Trump's Department for Government Efficiency), to collaborate connected research, including the anticipation of flights to Mars.

Dmitriev, who besides leads Russia's sovereign wealthiness fund, said the state wants to make its uncommon world minerals and wants to partner with U.S. companies looking to invest.

When Putin archetypal publically addressed the U.S. connection for a ceasefire successful Ukraine past week, helium spoke astir however possibly Washington and Moscow could co-operate connected vigor projects, which could pb to different state pipeline for Europe. 

Putin could person been referencing the Nord Stream 2 state pipeline, which runs betwixt Russia and Germany, and was damaged successful an detonation successful the autumn of 2022.

In caller days, determination person been a fig of reports, including by the Financial Times and the German newspaper BILD, which suggest there's a plan to restart the pipeline, perchance with concern from American companies. However, Germany says it is not progressive successful immoderate talks to revive Nord Stream 2. 

Kremlin's agenda

Anna Matveeva, a visiting elder probe chap astatine King's College London, says aft years of a antagonistic clime betwixt the U.S. and Russia, immoderate successful Russia spot the abrupt crook successful relations arsenic a "ray of hope."

But she says others successful the country are apt much cautious, fixed that immoderate were rather hopeful during Trump's first presidency, but ended up disappointed erstwhile helium approved additional sanctions against Russia aft unit from U.S. Congress successful 2019.

She says portion the telephone with Trump gave Putin a accidental to again articulate his conditions astir Ukraine, she said Ukraine isn't the Kremlin's main focus. 

"They would similar to person the taxable of Ukraine retired of the way.... due to the fact that they privation to determination connected to things which substance much for them," she said successful an interrogation with CBC News. "The Kremlin has a precise large agenda.... including the normalization of bilateral relations."

Fitting into this, she said, is apt an effort to promote associated events, similar the hockey games Putin proposed. 

The Kremlin said Trump supports the idea, and connected Wednesday, Russia's curate of athletics said helium is moving connected ways to bring players from the NHL and Russia's KHL together. 

"Economic measures, civilization and sports — that is benignant of the mode to rebuild relations gradually," said Matveeva.