DAYS after his disastrous Oval office meeting with President of the United States Mr. Donald Trump, Ukraine President Mr. Volodymyr Zelenskyy came around and held a phone call with the US President while agreeing to Russia’s offer of a pause in attacks on energy infrastructure for next 30 days. It is seen as a step for a broader cease-fire as Washington prepares ground to bring Moscow and Kyiv together to end the threeyear long war. On the face of it the two phone calls within 24 hours between Mr. Trump, Mr. Putin and Mr. Zelenskyy trigger hope of closure of the long-stretched conflict but the larger issue is too complex to hammer out such easy solutions. The fire might be ceased for a while but ending the military conflict remains a major challenge not only for Mr. Trump but also for all the world leaders taking efforts to bring peace to the region.

 

The White House summary has termed both conversations by Mr. Trump as positive as Mr. Putin and Mr. Zelenskyy showed great willingness to pause the fighting. There were many proposals put forth by both leaders as Mr. Trump opened his negotiation rulebook. This will remain the biggest catch in the entire matter. In the end, it will all boil down to the gains each country is seeking from the ceasefire. The US had already called Ukraine to sign an agreement for access to its rich mineral reserves. The deal did not materialise after the momentous meltdown in the Oval Office when Mr. Trump and US Vice-President Mr. J D Vance gave a massive dressing down to the Ukraine President in full public glare. It was an embarrassing moment for international relations and diplomacy as the US acted like a wild bully. Yet, Ukraine has shown super restraint to overcome the episode and turn around to thank Mr. Trump while showing keenness to go ahead with pending agreements. These issues will be on the table after the two phone calls between the US, Russia and Ukraine .

 

Three broader takeaways from the phone calls will be in play during the negotiations as the pause comes into effect. One, the control of energy infrastructure in Ukraine. Mr. Trump has already floated the idea of the US taking control of the power plants in Ukraine. It is seen by experts in Kyiv as a workable deal. It will be a win-win situation for Mr. Zelenskyy if the US goes ahead with the idea as attacks on energy infrastructure has remained a pain point for both Kyiv and Moscow. However, what Mr. Zelenskyy is seeking is a written commitment from Russia. Ukraine has refused to take just the assertion and the word of Mr. Putin on not striking energy sites in the future as a guarantee. In the words of Mr. Zelenskyy, it is a fair demand as “the war has made us practical people”. The US will need its expertise to extract a commitment from Moscow on the issue. It is easier said than done. The second takeaway entails reining in Moscow’s maximalist aims in Ukraine.

 

The phone call between Mr. Putin and Mr. Trump has been termed as a positive development but what has not been told is the Russian leader’s reluctance to retreat from his demands. He has conceded very little so far on the prisoner swap and return of occupied territories. These were the goals pursued by Kremlin since the war started and Ukraine cannot be faulted if it sees the cease-fire advantageous to Russia. The third issue pertains to the frosty relations between Moscow and Kyiv. Russia claims that Ukraine has violated many agreements in the past and committed barbaric terrorist crimes in the Kursk region of Russia. Lack of trust in each other’s word rules heavily in the bilateral relations between the neighbours. No negotiation can sustain if the distrust factor is not dealt with permanently. It makes the cease-fire only a minor pause, not the end of the war.