2nd Trump Talk to Putin

Who has the upper hand?

On March 18 Trump called Putin for the 2nd time since he won the November election on a promise to end the US/NATO proxy war against Russia in Ukraine in 24 hours. See also previous post.

To get a into a position of strength before the 2nd talk, T resumed military support to the proxy war, after a short stop to show good will to peace. In the talk P repeated his condition for progress towards peace as a return to a halt of military support from the US. 

P agreed to a proposal from T to have a 30-day cease-fire limited to energy infrastructure, and directly ordered Russian implementation, as a sign of good will. T did not say he was willing to stop military support, which could have been a sign of good will.

T suggested that the war possibly could be settled in ice-hockey matches between US and Russia, which was met positively by P.  But T did not say he was willing to stop military support, which would  have been welcomed by P as a sign of good will. 

T prides himself to be a man of quick action, but the talks with P follow a very slow schedule. It is still unclear if T really wants  peace or just seeks a way to prolong the war indefinitely giving in to neo-cons.

Swedish Defense Minister Pål Jonsson declares that Sweden will continue to send weapons to Ukraine independent of any peace talks between US and Russia, and that peace will only create even bigger problems for Sweden and Europe. The stocks of Saab sky-rocket. Anything which is good for Russia like peace, is bad for Sweden. Russia won over Sweden in Ice-hockey WC in 1967, 1969, 1970, 1973, 1981 and 1986.

Former Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson says that it absurd that T and P talk peace over the head of Sweden/Ukraine.

Sweden stands strong in its war against Russia. Finland lost to the Russian Empire in 1809 must be brought back under the Swedish Kingdom.