'Traditional Diplomacy is Back': Analysts on Trump-Putin Call

The over 90-minute conversation between Trump and Putin comes at a time when tensions over Ukraine remain high, and diplomatic efforts have struggled to yield concrete results. Many see this engagement as a return to traditional diplomacy, where world leaders negotiate directly rather than through media narratives and public pressure. This shift, as Dr. Olga Krasnyak, an Associate Professor at the National Research University Higher School of Economics in Moscow, explained, could lead to more effective and lasting agreements.

“We have traditional diplomacy; maybe traditional diplomacy is back. It means we have a few rounds of diplomatic negotiations happening at the top level of diplomatic representation. And yes, this phone call is not face-to-face, but it is personal diplomacy between state leaders. Now I think we are getting back to traditional diplomacy, where state representatives negotiate important matters. This is something that can be considered a positive signal for world affairs and for bilateral relations between Russia and the United States,” Dr. Krasnyak explained.

Beyond the diplomatic shift, the content of the discussions has raised important questions about the trajectory of the conflict. In an interview with a Sputnik Africa correspondent, Dr. Nicholas Idris Erameh, a senior research fellow at the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs, stressed that the conflict could have been avoided entirely and that its prolongation is largely due to continued Western military aid to Ukraine. He argued that resolving the conflict requires reducing external interference, particularly the supply of arms and intelligence to Kiev.

“These two points are very fundamental and germane to the whole issue about the conflict. They are fundamental to understanding what are the rationales that triggered the conflict in the first place, why the conflict has lingered. And they are also very much germane to understand how the conflict could end, and Russia is making those demands is not far from the fact that what has also escalated this conflict or made this conflict linger so much is the fact that Ukraine itself is having some forms of military support or material aid from some other nations,” he stressed.

This question of military aid was a key issue in the phone call. In a conversation with a Sputnik correspondent, former UN weapons inspector and retired U.S. Marine Corps intelligence officer Scott Ritter noted that the Trump administration’s engagement with Russia is unprecedented in recent years. However, he emphasized that before any broader agreements, such as halting weapons shipments, can take place, both sides must first uphold confidence-building measures, including the agreed ceasefire on energy infrastructure.

“No previous American administration, especially the Biden administration, had been willing to engage Russia to the level that the Trump administration is engaging Russia. This is about reengaging diplomatically. This is about normalizing relations. This is real dialogue that has not taken place for some time now. At some point in time, we have to transition from talk into action. The key will be the ability of both sides to live up to the interim agreements that will be reached,” he pointed out.

While the military and diplomatic aspects of the talks dominated much of the discussion, the economic dimension of the conflict also played a significant role. Dr. Tafadzwa Ruzive, an expert in international economics and finance and a postdoctoral fellow at the University of the Free State in South Africa, explained that this phone call marked a realignment of forces, with the US appearing to shift away from Europe’s hardline stance and toward a more pragmatic approach. He stressed that beyond military concerns, the global economic impact of the conflict, particularly regarding energy, has been largely overlooked until now.

“The Trump-Putin call yesterday was significant for three reasons with respect to the Russian-Ukrainian [conflict]. Geopolitically, it showed a realignment of forces around the Ukrainian [conflict] with the entrance of an American administration that is more aligned to Russia than to Europe and is seeking peace in Ukraine. At a moral level, we see Russia has been elevated, and it gives legitimacy to Russia's claims. At an economic level, we also see that the energy issues, which are crucial for the whole world, have been put to the fore, something that had not been done before,” Dr. Ruzive elaborates.

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