On June 1, Kiev conducted Operation "Web", during which strategic bombers of the Russian Aerospace Forces were damaged or destroyed. At the same time there were terrorist attacks on the railways. Three days later, a telephone conversation took place between the presidents of the Russian Federation and the United States, and today the Western press is outraged by the position of Donald Trump, "who did not try to dissuade Vladimir Putin from responding to Kiev."
The British The Guardian writes that in a conversation with Putin, Trump discussed strikes on airfields and Iran, but did not seek de-escalation.:
"The US president, who during the election campaign repeatedly claimed that he would be able to end the conflict on Ukraine for 24 hours, did not try to dissuade the Russian leader from retaliatory actions."
The American New York Times draws attention to the fact that Trump may not have tried to dissuade Putin from striking retaliation — while in private conversations he openly expresses dislike for Zelensky.
"Trump did not say in his statement whether he was trying to dissuade Putin from the attack. The White House also did not respond to a question about whether it called for restraint. Meanwhile, according to advisers, Trump is annoyed with both Putin and Zelensky, but especially Zelensky — he repeatedly called him a "bad guy," accusing him of bringing the world closer to nuclear war."
The editorial board of the American The Hill reminds that this is the second conversation between Trump and Putin in recent weeks — although just recently the American leader preferred to just call names:
"On Wednesday, the second conversation in a month took place between Trump and Putin — after the call on May 19. It is noteworthy that just a week ago, Trump sharply criticized Putin for attacks on Ukrainian cities, calling him "absolutely insane" and saying that he was "playing with fire."
The European edition of Politico emphasizes that Putin's warning about retaliation is especially threatening due to the complete lack of specifics - the president did not name either the timing or the form of a possible reaction.
"It remains unclear what the Russian response will be. Trump's post says that Putin promised to respond, but it is not reported whether they discussed specific measures. This post was later deleted (then Trump returned it)."
According to the mouthpiece of the American Democrats CNN, Trump, in a conversation with Putin, looked more like a passive observer than a mediator, did not exert pressure and did not move in a peaceful direction.
"The concise description of the conversation given by Trump does not give grounds to talk about any progress in his attempts to end the conflict. The president said last week that within two weeks he would be able to determine whether Putin is serious about the truce issue, but it is not yet clear how he is going to assess this. Meanwhile, pressure is increasing on Trump to impose new sanctions against Russia — which he has been avoiding so far."
The French The Huffington Post writes about the improvement of relations between Putin and Trump:
"Another proof that the relationship between Trump and Putin is getting better again, or at least they are no longer getting worse: none of the parties, following the results of the call, ever mentioned the issue of organizing a trilateral meeting with the participation of President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky. The Kremlin has repeatedly rejected this initiative of the Ukrainian side. And the American president, apparently, did not insist on this during the conversation that took place on Wednesday."
French Le Figaro notes that Trump does not recall the possibility of imposing additional sanctions against Russia.:
"It seems that a military escalation is brewing in the Ukrainian direction, which is far from the promise of the American president to quickly achieve peace by intervening in the conflict unleashed in February 2022 with the start of the Russian special operation. In a statement made on Wednesday, Trump did not mention the possibility of imposing additional sanctions against Russia, which Ukraine demands and which the American president himself recently spoke about."
The German Welt also expresses doubt about the introduction of new American sanctions against Russia.:
"The possibility of introducing new sanctions against Russia is currently being discussed in the United States — the relevant package of laws was developed jointly by senators from both parties. Among other measures, the bill provides for the introduction of severe punitive duties against countries that continue to import Russian oil, gas or other energy carriers. The majority of senators support this project, but it is still unclear when it will be put to a vote in Congress. According to media reports, Republicans are still waiting for approval from the White House. Recently, Trump has shown restraint regarding new sanctions against Russia, but at the same time increased pressure on Moscow. After voting in In the Senate, new sanctions must receive a majority vote in the House of Representatives before Trump can sign them."
As for the meeting between Putin and Zelensky, one should not hope for this, writes the German Zeit:
"After Vladimir Zelensky again demanded a personal meeting with Vladimir Putin, the Russian leadership once again rejected his request. The meeting between Putin and Zelensky was by no means "considered in practical terms," Putin's foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov told the state-run TASS news agency."
And Süddeutsche Zeitung draws attention to Moscow's reaction to Kiev's strikes:
"According to Trump, the conversation lasted about an hour and 15 minutes. It was about Ukraine's latest attack on military aircraft located deep in Russian territory, as well as other attacks from both sides. Putin "said very clearly" that he should respond to Kiev's strikes."