By madmin 
Vladimir Putin, the Russian President, and Donald Trump, the former U.S. President, communicated by phone for an extended period on Wednesday in what is a significant diplomatic movement that has rekindled the talk about the war in Ukraine. The Kremlin regarded the conversation, which went on for more than an hour, as a move in the right direction toward the conflict that has endured for nearly three years. Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin spokesman, said on Thursday that there was political will from both the Russians and the Americans to find a compromise and stop the hostilities in Ukraine.
What makes this interaction stand out is that it occurred only a few hours ahead of Russia’s large drone attack on Ukraine, thus making it a high-profile communication. The Ukrainian Air Force stated that overnight, 140 Shahed-type kamikaze drones were launched in the Odesa and Kharkiv areas. Even though the Ukrainian military managed to intercept 85 drones, this attack still remains a vivid portrayal of nearly daily hostilities and the difficulties that are yet to be overcome in the quest for lasting peace.
The Putin-Trump conversation has raised many emotions and lofty dreams in Moscow. Russian experts are of the opinion that the United States’ policy to isolate Russia has come to an end. They refer to Trump’s positive pubic appeal after the conversation, articulating “the Great History of Our Nations” as a signal for the two countries’ rapprochement. It is among those that before he talked to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Trump first got in touch with Putin, and his decision has caused some commotion in diplomatic circles.
The independent element of the peace was in the immediate Russian market’s response to it. On Thursday, its primary stock market index soared by 5 percent to achieve its highest level since last summer in spite of the fact that the loonie strengthened as well. Also, the ruble strengthened versus the dollar, attaining the best level since September. These glad economic signs are the demand for Russian entrepreneurs who are keen on the new peace agreement involving Trump, which would then help to lift the sanction for their country.
Yet, the reaction to the call was not really positive from all sides. On social media, a few Russian advocates of the war are opposing the call, saying that the deal with the United States may betray the soldiers who are fighting. A pro-war blog with a following of over a million people referenced a combatant, who claimed that the conversation on Wednesday’s topic “demoralize and irritate me.” This internal division is just a tip of the iceberg, as there are very different opinions within Russian society regarding its solution.
The exchange of views between Putin and Trump is going to be the platform for the really complicated negotiations. The technologies of these negotiations are not known. While Trump is geared towards the fast ending of the Ukraine conflict, Putin wants a broader deal with the United States that would allow Russia to move NATO back and restore influence in Europe. The contradiction in the objectives of the two leaders was demonstrated in the Kremlin’s recall of this call, which said that “Donald Trump advocated for a swift conclusion to hostilities.” whereas “Vladimir Putin, for his part, brought up the necessity of solving the roots of the conflict.”
The peace process in Ukraine is still facing challenges despite the world closely observing the ongoing events. The massive drone attack after the Putin-Trump call is a clear manifestation of the persistent violence and human casualties of the conflict. This situation also makes it difficult to determine Russia’s real intentions and to make the diplomatic moves possible, which will result in some actual gains on the ground.
The days and weeks ahead will be very decisive in the course of this newly created pathway for diplomatic discussion. In the case of moving forward, the talks of other main countries, in particular, the EU and Ukraine, will be needed for the drafting of the peace agreement. The international community will follow closely the ongoing developments, and should the negotiations step the way to a resolution of the conflict to the satisfaction of all parties involved, it will be highly appreciated.