It feels like a game of diplomatic chess.
Just before another meeting with the Ukrainian president at the White House on Friday, Donald Trump telephoned the Russian one.
Amid speculation that the US could give Ukraine access to Tomahawk cruise missiles, something has shifted on the board.
Ukraine war latest: Trump and Putin agree location to meet again
The prospect of more military support for Kyiv may have been the catalyst for Russia’s return to the table.
High-level officials from Washington and Moscow will meet next week.
Mr Trump and Vladimir Putin, who last came face-to-face in Alaska two months ago, will meet again soon in Budapest, Hungary.
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Asked if the US president still believes he can get Mr Putin and Volodymyr Zelenskyy together soon, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said: “I think he thinks it’s possible, and he would, of course, love to see that happen.”
But there’s currently no plan for the Ukrainian leader to join Trump and Putin in Hungary, and that will be a concern for Kyiv and its European allies.
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How does call impact Ukraine’s Tomahawk request?
It’s difficult to envisage the US granting Ukraine’s request for Tomahawk cruise missiles against the backdrop of these diplomatic manoeuvres.
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Read more:
Could Tomahawk missiles be a game-changer for Ukraine?
Why emboldened Trump has changed his stance on Ukraine
Mr Trump had already done a handbrake turn, from telling Mr Zelenksyy “you don’t have the cards” to suggesting Ukraine could win back all its land.
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Now he appears to be looking in the rear view mirror, back to the Alaskan summit, where his hopes of brokering a ceasefire were dashed.
He’s expressing hope that the end of the war in the Middle East could have a knock-on effect in Ukraine – one man on a mission to end two wars.
