US President Donald Trump’s phone call with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin this week appears to mark a radical reversal of US foreign policy. Following the 12 February call, Mr Trump announced plans for the two leaders to visit each other’s countries with a potential first meeting in Saudi Arabia and stated that talks on ending the Ukraine conflict would begin immediately.
Whether or not this truly marks the beginning of a movement towards ending the Ukraine conflict, which is just 10 days away from hitting the three-year mark, it signifies that further tightening of US sanctions on Russian energy flows are off the table for the foreseeable future. That’s a big change, with the call coming less than a month after Mr Trump threatened on his Truth social media platform to impose new sanctions on Russia if it didn’t “STOP this ridiculous War!” (CONTINUED - 995 WORDS)
