Trump-Putin: Is the bromance about to break?

“It could be that President Putin is buying time.” From this statement by Donald Trump, it could be inferred that there are gradually cracks appearing in the close cooperation of the two world leaders. The Ukrainian media eagerly picked up on this frustration of Trump.

It increasingly appears that the US President Donald Trump is starting to run out of patience due to the way Russian President Vladimir Putin is delaying the peace negotiations. After weeks of negotiation, only paper results have been achieved. And that does not sit well with Trump. Attacks on energy infrastructure continue, and the ceasefire on the Black Sea doesn't seem to exist at all. The American President seems to be reaching his limit.

Trump’s statement about the alleged delay tactics of Putin came in response to a journalist's question about the extra conditions the Kremlin suddenly linked to the deal regarding the Black Sea.

The White House had triumphantly communicated that commercial shipping would be safe again over the Black Sea and Ukraine followed with an approving communiqué, but then Russia immediately blew up that agreement by suddenly adding extra conditions. Putin wants some Western sanctions lifted and some banks to be readmitted to the financial transaction system SWIFT. The deal could only go through if those issues were addressed, according to Russia. “There are five or six conditions, I believe,” Trump said. “We are looking into them.” But in reality, it's an absolute no-go for Europe, which became immediately evident from the European response to Putin’s sudden extra demands: “The end of unjustified and unprovoked aggression in Ukraine and the unconditional withdrawal of the Russian army from the entire territory of Ukraine would be one of the main conditions for adjusting or lifting sanctions.” And SWIFT has its headquarters in Brussels, so Trump does not have all the strings in his hands. Consequently, the ceasefire at sea still does not exist...

How much patience does Donald Trump still have with his good friend?

(SR - Source: The Guardian / Kyiv Post / Nieuwsblad - Photo: © Picture by Kremlin.ru via Wikimedia Commons licensed under CC BY 4.0)