Basically, it seems that Trump is way too eager to negotiate directly with Putin, which may provide him with some big-power ego satisfaction but also gives Putin exactly what he wants: an entirely unwarranted equal footing with the leader of the free world.

President Donald Trump announced that the war in Ukraine is close to ending following a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin. He described the conversation as "highly productive" and said they agreed on the need to stop the conflict.