Putin has already benefited politically from his phone call with Trump - political expert

RIGA - Russian dictator Vladimir Putin has already gained political benefits from his telephone conversation with US President Donald Trump, political analyst Andis Kudors said in an interview on Latvian Television yesterday evening.

In his opinion, one of the benefits is that Putin has come out of political isolation, the other is that the Kremlin sees the opportunity to talk to Trump as a tactical victory. It also serves as an encouragement to other dictators that they can get a seat at the negotiating table through a policy of force. Kudors also stressed that conclusions should not be rushed at the moment, as this is only the beginning.

Professor Zaneta Ozolina, Vice-Chair of the Board of the Latvian Transatlantic Organisation (LATO), said that she saw no reason for optimism, while agreeing that we should not rush to conclusions to. She also sees a need to look at how Kremlin Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov reacted to Trump's generally optimistic and hopeful remarks.

Ozolina said that Peskov's comment were cautious. In her opinion, although at this point it seems that Putin has gained the political upper hand in the inter-state relations, further statements from Russia show great caution. Suddenly, there is talk of the causes of the war and the long-term process. The professor pointed out that there is now a commitment, if not a first step, but it is difficult to say what the further process will be.

Commenting on the statements made by US officials, the LATO Vice-Chairwoman said that everything is being thrown into one pot. She noted that Trump and his team have relatively little experience in international politics and are currently using terms that are being thrown around left and right without understanding what can be done with them and what the consequences could be.

Ozolina suggested that the US is using tactics that are more characteristic of business than of political negotiations -different options and offers are deliberately thrown on the table, including new ones in combination with old ones, to see what the reaction might be. She points out that Trump has in fact stirred the political pond significantly on Wednesday, as questions immediately arise about the role of the European Union and certain European countries in this process - the future of Ukraine and participation in the negotiations. In her view, a series of questions are being asked to which Trump himself has no answers.

"One of the next steps to focus on is what is happening at the upcoming Munich Security Conference. This could lead to clearer positions from the US and reactions from the bloc's member states," Ozolina said.

As reported, Trump said on Wednesday that he had a "productive" telephone conversation with Putin. The US President also said that he had agreed with Putin to "immediately" start talks on ending the war launched by Russia. Also on Wednesday, Trump had a conversation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, during which they discussed ways to end the war.

Meanwhile, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has said that it is impossible that Ukraine will regain all the territories occupied by Russia and join NATO. In his words, "the US does not believe that Ukraine's membership of NATO is a realistic outcome of a negotiated settlement of the conflict".