The war in Ukraine is entering a phase of diplomatic cooling between the Russian Federation and the USA. Putin is increasingly disappointed in Trump, who has started to support Kyiv’s long-range attacks.
Donald Trump, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Volodymyr Putin / © TSN
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The bold strikes by the Armed Forces of Ukraine on targets deep within Russia have forced US President Donald Trump to reconsider his attitude towards the war in Ukraine. Because of this, the Kremlin has openly accused Washington of deviating from its role as an “objective mediator.” Now, Moscow complains about the loss of trust in the US President.
This is stated in an article by the Financial Times.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated on June 23 that the US “appears to be moving away from the role of an objective mediator” in the war and has “forgotten” Trump’s statements from last year, which, according to him, were close to Moscow’s position.
At the same time, according to two sources familiar with closed-door discussions between leaders, Trump was “extremely impressed and captivated” by the recent Ukrainian campaign of long-range strikes on targets deep within Russian territory during the G7 summit last week. There, he also supported strengthening sanctions against the Russian energy sector.
These strikes, the intensity of which has only increased since – including attacks on military facilities near Moscow and an oil refinery on the outskirts of the city – are being carried out with the support of American intelligence. Western partners, in turn, are urging Washington not to curtail such assistance.
The Kremlin is dissatisfied that the US cannot facilitate the end of the war on Russia’s terms.
Lavrov’s statements are the most explicit signal that dissatisfaction is growing in the Kremlin due to the US’s inability to facilitate the end of the war against Ukraine on terms favorable to Moscow.
During a foreign policy conference in Moscow, the Foreign Minister emphasized that Russia will be “focused on achieving [invasion] goals, based on the fact that all hopes that the US could be an honest mediator have long been destroyed.”
The US is no longer confident that Russia can win the war.
As early as March, US intelligence assessed that Russia had an advantage on the battlefield. However, in recent months, according to European diplomats, Washington’s position has changed: they are no longer confident that Moscow can win this war.
“They will certainly not achieve the goals they set for themselves on day one. Perhaps they will never be able to achieve militarily the goals they are now demanding in negotiations,” said US Secretary of State Marco Rubio during Senate hearings this month.
According to high-ranking Ukrainian officials, Kyiv is noticing signs that Trump is increasingly leaning towards expanding support for Ukraine and may be ready to increase pressure on Russia to end the war.
Despite this, the Ukrainian side remains cautious and doubts that the US president will fulfill his intentions, given his previous unfulfilled promises and long-standing tendency for positive remarks about Russian President Vladimir Putin.
However, after meetings between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Trump, and other world leaders, Ukrainian authorities speak of restrained optimism. They believe progress has been made on supplying interceptor missiles for the MIM-104 Patriot and licensing Western weaponry.
One Ukrainian official noted that further progress will depend on the next round of negotiations between NSDC Secretary Rustem Umerov and American officials, where technical details are to be agreed upon.
Trump was impressed by Ukraine’s recent “military results.”
According to one Ukrainian official, during a dinner on the sidelines of the G7 summit last week, Zelenskyy and Trump had an extended conversation. During it, the American leader noted that he was impressed by Kyiv’s recent “military results.”
Following this meeting, Zelenskyy reported that Trump and Rubio “reacted positively for the first time to the issue of licenses” for the production of interceptor missiles for Patriot systems.
“Everyone agrees that we now have all the necessary technical capabilities to start producing missiles for the Patriot systems. Now, President Trump’s personal approval is needed,” said the Ukrainian president.
According to him, the American leader “plans to appeal to US defense companies with a proposal to establish licensed production of air defense missiles in Europe and Ukraine.”
Previously, Putin had influenced Ukraine’s and the EU’s attempts to persuade Trump by calling him on the eve of key allied summits. However, his call to the US president on his birthday, a few days before the summit, seems to have had no significant impact this time.
“Russia must make a deal. Russia has lost a huge number of people, as has Ukraine,” Trump stated at the G7 summit, adding that, according to his estimates, both sides together lose about 25,000 troops monthly.
European countries have seized upon the noticeable shift in Trump’s approach to the war – particularly that he no longer considers Russian victory inevitable – to more actively promote the idea of increasing military aid to Ukraine.
“When Ukraine is properly equipped, it can achieve real operational results. Russian defense lines are not impenetrable,” noted a high-ranking NATO military representative.
Russia’s reaction to Ukrainian attacks
Moscow, meanwhile, is looking for ways to respond to Ukraine’s technological breakthroughs, which have helped contain the Russian offensive and cause significant damage to infrastructure targets deep in the Russian rear.
During a meeting with military academy graduates on June 23, Putin stated that Ukrainian attacks are a sign of weakness against the backdrop, as he put it, of the continuous advance of the Russian army.
“These drones, attacks on civilian infrastructure. What are they for? To destabilize society… and create some uncertainty about the actions of the Russian armed forces,” Putin said.
Separately, he accused Western states of preparing aggression against Russia and drew parallels with World War II, recalling Nazi Germany’s attack on the Soviet Union. According to the dictator, Russia is ready to “respond in a timely and appropriate manner to any external and internal threats.”
Moscow also states that it continues to support the peace process under US auspices, which has stalled after the escalation of the war in the Middle East at the end of February. Putin’s spokesman on international affairs, Yuri Ushakov, announced the previous day that US Special Representative Steve W… and his son-in-law Jared Kushner are likely to visit Moscow after Washington agrees on a framework peace agreement with Tehran.
Russia is dissatisfied with the US actions regarding Ukraine.
However, as noted by Western diplomats and participants in unofficial negotiation channels, Russia’s dissatisfaction with US actions had been growing since last summer.
In Moscow, they believed that W… had misinterpreted the Russian position before the meeting between Putin and Trump in Alaska in August 2025. That meeting ended tensely when it became clear that the parties had much deeper disagreements than assumed. The White House denied this.
Although Trump later released a statement in which he retracted his own call for an immediate ceasefire and seemed to partially support Putin’s demands for a long-term settlement, Washington later returned to its original position.
According to sources, Trump’s unpredictability, as well as what Moscow calls the chaotic diplomacy of W… and Kushner, has undermined Russia’s confidence in his ability to help Putin achieve the maximalist goals of the war.
Lavrov also seemed to allude directly to this change.
“I don’t even want to assume that Alaska, as well as Europe’s actions, were conceived to buy time and continue arming the Kyiv regime. But what happened, happened,” said the Russian minister.
Trump’s stance on the war in Ukraine – what is known.
As a reminder, according to Kyiv Independent, in a private conversation, Trump advised Zelenskyy to act “bolder” towards Russia, as he does not believe Putin will make concessions without pressure. Amid Kyiv’s efforts to organize negotiations, Zelenskyy proposed that Trump host a summit with Putin in the US, and this idea interested the American president, although officials there do not expect such a meeting in the near future.
According to RBC-Ukraine, Trump is convinced that a transition to real negotiations with Russia is possible only under conditions of strong military pressure from Ukraine. During personal contacts with Zelenskyy, the American leader emphasized that active actions by the Ukrainian Armed Forces at the front and strikes deep into Russian territory are the necessary tools that will force the Kremlin to consider the diplomatic path.
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