A turning point in the US’s position towards the war in Ukraine came after a telephone conversation between Trump and Putin, during which they agreed to meet in Budapest. This means that Washington’s intention to put pressure on Moscow has been put on hold pending the outcome of the meeting, GeoPolitics inform.
This volte-face by the White House was marked by the landmark meeting between Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Donald Trump at the White House on 17 October 2025. Afterwards, the US president posted a statement on Truth Social, calling for an end to the violence and for a peace agreement to be reached.
The setting for Zelensky’s deliberations with Trump encompassed discussions pertaining to the potential deployment of Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine, a development that indicated to the Kremlin that the US was poised to escalate its support for Ukraine. Hitherto, the initiative to exacerbate the situation belonged to Moscow, but now Washington is demonstrating its readiness to dictate terms, which forced Putin to initiate a telephone conversation with Trump and agree to meet with him. Zelensky’s meeting with Trump proved the latter’s change of position on Putin. By menacing the Kremlin with augmented military assistance to Ukraine and the deployment of Tomahawk missiles, the US is compelling Moscow to engage in negotiations with Washington. This is a clear signal that the US is prepared to adopt a tougher stance towards Moscow if no progress is made in the negotiations.
The notion of the potential deployment of Tomahawk cruise missiles within the environs of Kyiv constitutes a political admonition to the Kremlin that the US may be inclined to escalate the situation, as even a modest deployment (20-50 units) could inflict substantial damage to Russian energy and military logistics. The strengthening of Kyiv’s position ahead of any negotiations will be the result of such strikes, even if they will not resolve the war on their own.
Trump’s recent disillusionment with Putin was caused by the Russian president’s repudiation of advantageous proposals proffered to him by the American side in Anchorage, which engendered exasperation in Washington. Well, the White House has shown that it can rely on military and political pressure through supplying long-range weapons, tougher sanctions and getting its allies involved.
Putin’s strategy is based on the belief that Western aid to Ukraine will end. However, the launch of new arms supply mechanisms and initiatives to support Ukraine are sending him the opposite signal. It is not individual deliveries that are feared by the Kremlin, but rather systematic and long-term support, which is seen as a threat to the stability of the Russian regime.
Trump’s telephonic colloquy with Putin prior to his parley with Zelenskyy demonstrated that the American president is poised to assume the role of chief negotiator and mediator in the peace process, whilst concurrently leveraging genuine leverage in the form of arms supplies to Ukraine.
In anticipation of the impending summit between the leaders of Ukraine and the United States, deliberations were held concerning the provision of liquefied natural gas from America to Ukraine, with the objective of mitigating the repercussions of Russian incursions on Ukrainian gas infrastructure and the subsequent energy risks. In response, Kyiv may offer American companies opportunities to transport blue fuel to EU countries.
Ultimately, it is imperative for Ukraine and the US to obtain written security assurances, encompassing collaborative defence strategies, expeditious arms provision in the event of an escalation, intelligence collaboration, and American air defence/missile defence systems to ensure the protection of Ukrainian airspace. Unambiguous and overt pledges serve to mitigate the likelihood of further incursions and augment the financial burden of hostilities for the Kremlin.
Putin’s logic is simple: outmanoeuvre Trump and buy time. At this juncture, there are no indications that he is prepared to relinquish his declared demands with regard to Ukraine. The necessity for Putin to demonstrate to the Russians that he is in control of the situation is clear.
Trump’s forthcoming private dialogues with Putin in Budapest risk considerable tarnishing of his reputation and political damage for the American president if he is unable to persuade the Russian head of state to agree to a cessation of hostilities along the contact line and to halt missile and drone assaults on Ukraine.