Putin ignores Trump’s calls to end Ukraine war – NYT

The Kremlin is ignoring U.S. President Donald Trump's calls to end the war in Ukraine, believing Russia can break through Ukrainian defenses, The New York Times reported on Wednesday, citing sources close to the Kremlin.

Russian President Vladimir Putin believes the Russian military has growing battlefield momentum and sees no reason to halt the conflict without major concessions from Kyiv, the report said.

“He won’t sacrifice his goals in Ukraine to improve relations with Trump,” said Tatiana Stanovaya, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center.

According to the NYT, the Kremlin is not alarmed by Trump’s increasingly frustrated tone and views the return of direct U.S.-Russia talks as a diplomatic win after years of isolation.