“On a call Monday, President Trump told European leaders that Russian President Vladimir Putin isn't ready to end the conflict because he thinks he is winning, according to three people familiar with the conversation.
The acknowledgment was what European leaders had long believed -- but it was the first time they were hearing it from Trump.
It also ran counter to what Trump often has said publicly, that he believes Putin genuinely wants peace.
The White House declined to comment, and referred to Trump's social-media post Monday about his conversation with Putin: "The tone and spirit . . . were excellent."
Although Trump appears to have come around to the idea that Putin isn't ready for peace, that hasn't led him to do what the Europeans and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky have been arguing he should do: Double down on the fight against Russia.
Trump held a call with European leaders on Sunday -- a day before his two-hour conversation with Putin. He indicated then that he could impose sanctions if Putin refused a cease-fire, according to people familiar with the conversation.
By Monday, he shifted again. He wasn't ready to do that. Instead, Trump said he wanted to proceed quickly with lower-level talks between Russia and Ukraine at the Vatican.
The call Monday included Zelensky, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. It was in part the culmination of a European diplomatic offensive that started some 10 days earlier, aimed at getting Trump to pressure Putin.
While the effort ultimately didn't succeed in getting Trump to do that through additional sanctions, Europeans saw some upside to the outcome. The process helped clarify for everyone, including Trump, where Putin stood: He is unwilling to stop the conflict at this stage. And for the Europeans, it helped underscore that it now largely is up to them to support Ukraine. Europeans don't believe the Trump administration will stop U.S. weapons exports as long as Europe or Kyiv pays for them, the people said.
"This isn't my conflict," Trump said Monday after his Putin call. "We got ourselves entangled in something we shouldn't have been involved in."
Trump indicated in a call with European leaders Sunday -- which included Macron, Merz, Meloni and U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer -- that he would dispatch Secretary of State Marco Rubio and special envoy Keith Kellogg to talks that are now expected to take place at the Vatican. On Monday, Trump appeared to be noncommittal about a U.S. role, according to one of the people briefed on the call.
Some of the Europeans on the call Monday insisted that the outcome of any talks at the Vatican must be an unconditional cease-fire. But Trump again demurred, saying he didn't like the term "unconditional." The Europeans eventually agreed to drop their insistence on the adjective.
Europe's diplomatic offensive to get Trump to pressure Russia escalated when Merz, the conservative German chancellor, took office earlier this month. Merz has been much more willing to confront Putin than his left-leaning predecessor, Olaf Scholz.
Merz's coalition also managed to amend Germany's constitution to allow the country greater latitude in borrowing to spend on the military and support for Ukraine.
When Trump spoke Sunday with European leaders, ahead of the Putin call, he signaled the U.S. might join Europe in sanctioning Russian energy exports and bank transactions.
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R., S.C.), a close Trump ally, said Wednesday he had gathered 81 co-sponsors for a bill that would significantly ratchet up energy and other sanctions on Moscow.
The Sunday call left some with the impression that Trump just might support fresh sanctions if Putin didn't agree to a truce. But those hopes were dashed a day later.
The talks in the Vatican are expected to start in mid June.” [1]
1. World News: Trump Privately Says Putin Isn't Ready to End the Conflict --- U.S. president made the acknowledgment after speaking with the Russian leader. Pancevski, Bojan; Norman, Laurence. Wall Street Journal, Eastern edition; New York, N.Y.. 22 May 2025: A18.
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