In addition, the publication writes, Trump and Putin exchanged “many messages through intermediaries.”
The interlocutors of journalists among former and current American officials described the communication of the leaders of the United States and the Russian Federation as “usually friendly”, but sometimes ongoing “hours” due to “long monologues” of Putin and the need to translate them.
As The Wall Street Journal found out, Trump “often discussed” with Putin his desire to revive American-Russian relations based on economic cooperation, and Putin listed his “claims and basic desires”, which mainly relate to international recognition of the control of the Russian Federation over the occupied Crimea and part of the Donbass.
“Usually impatient and eager to intervene” Trump Putin “carefully listened to the conversation,” the publication emphasizes.
Commenting on this to journalists, the former Trump adviser to National Security John Bolton recalled that Putin was preparing in the KGB and therefore knows how to influence his interlocutors – “just says, speaks and says.”
Trump’s disappointment against Putin began to manifest at the NATO summit in June, writes The Wall Street Journal, then he called Putin’s “erroneous” refusal to stop the war.
According to journalists, Trump’s conversation with Putin on February 3 lasted “only an hour”, and in the conversation there was no longer a common warmth for them, although there was also no tension.
The interlocutors of the publication claim that the head of the White House completed that conversation with Putin with a sense of bewilderment and the aggravated feeling that the head of the Kremlin was using it.
Context
August 6 in Moscow took place meeting Putin and special representative of US President Steve Witkoff. The war in Ukraine was discussed.
The special representative of Putin for investment and economic cooperation, Kirill Dmitriev, based on the results of Vitcoff's visit, announced the continuation of the “constructive dialogue” between the United States and Russia.
Trump told reporters that there was a high probability of his meeting with Putin and President of Ukraine Vladimir Zelensky in the near future. According to CNN, Putin suggested holding this meeting. Trump's assistants are already preparing it, the US president ordered to act quickly, informed the channel.
