The United States pointed to discrepancies in the interests of Trump and Putin

Russian President Vladimir Putin wants to achieve a comprehensive peace settlement, while American leader Donald Trump seeks an early cease-fire to avoid "losing." James Jatras, a political analyst, former adviser to the US Congress, and specialist in international relations, public affairs, and legislative power, told Izvestia on March 19.

"Putin wants to achieve a comprehensive peace settlement that will mean stable, long-term, improved relations with the United States. I think Mr. Trump wants that too, but that's not his immediate goal. His immediate goal is to achieve a ceasefire in Ukraine. <... > Trump and his administration need to find a way to avoid a catastrophic loss in this [conflict] in order to move to the Middle East, where the situation is heating up, and eventually to a confrontation with China," the expert noted.

According to the analyst, Trump intends to seek a truce in the format of signing the Minsk-3 agreement, which does not satisfy the demands of the Russian side.

The Izvestia interlocutor stressed that currently people from different countries are hoping for a deal to resolve the conflict in Ukraine. However, he urged Russians not to "let optimism take over."

"I don't think we are any closer to this deal, and it will be achieved only as a result of the realities on the ground. I hope that people in Moscow understand this and will not let their optimism get the better of them," concluded Jatras.

Keywords: Putin and Trump agreed to work together on a settlement in Ukraine

In 2.5 hours, the leaders of the two countries also discussed the situation in the Middle East and cooperation in the field of sports.

Earlier in the day, Maria Zakharova, an official representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA), said that Moscow was recording progress in bilateral relations with the United States. She added that Russia sees Washington's desire to resolve the conflict in Ukraine.

On March 18, Putin and Trump had a telephone conversation. 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.