Ex-CIA analyst Johnson commented on the conversation between Putin and Trump

Larry Johnson, a former analyst at the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) of the United States, pointed to the multilateral nature of the telephone conversation between Russian President Vladimir Putin and American leader Donald Trump on March 18.

"I am sure that Russia wants to have normal diplomatic relations with the United States. The problem is that the United States, especially Donald Trump, continues to send mixed signals," he said.

The expert noted that Trump is talking about normalizing relations with Russia and at the same time threatening to impose duties and supply even more weapons to Ukraine.

At the same time, Johnson appreciated the appointment of US special envoy Steve Witkoff as the chief negotiator. According to him, it became an important gesture.

"Personally, I am not optimistic that the negotiations will end with an agreement on how to move forward, because I expect President Putin to be firm and adhere to the conditions he outlined in June 2024. And I don't think President Trump is ready to accept them. We'll see," the analyst said.

Sense of contact: Putin and Trump agree on diplomatic solution to Ukraine crisis

In an hour and a half, they also discussed prisoner exchanges, the situation in the Middle East and the Iran nuclear deal

A telephone conversation between Russian President Vladimir Putin and American leader Donald Trump took place earlier in the day. During the talks, the parties exchanged views on the situation in Ukraine, and also discussed a wide range of areas in which the United States and Russia could establish cooperation.

In addition, Putin supported Trump's idea of a mutual refusal of the Russian Federation and Ukraine from strikes on energy infrastructure for 30 days and immediately gave the Russian military the appropriate command.