STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:
The secretary general of NATO is meeting President Trump in Washington today.
SARAH MCCAMMON, HOST:
The members of the Western alliance seem to be more aligned in their approach to Russia than they were just a few months ago. Trump has expressed frustration with Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has continued his war in Ukraine. The president said he will make a major announcement of some kind today.
INSKEEP: So, naturally, NPR Russia correspondent Charles Maynes is following all this and is on the line from Moscow. Hey there, Charles.
CHARLES MAYNES, BYLINE: Morning.
INSKEEP: What, if anything, is known about President Trump's planned announcement?
MAYNES: Well, quite a lot, actually. For all of Trump's flair for intrigue, he's been rather open about at least part of what we can expect today. He says he's cut a deal by which NATO will purchase American weapons for Ukraine, including Patriot missile systems to help Ukraine defend itself from what's really become nearly nightly onslaughts of Russian drone and missile attacks. Here's Trump speaking at Andrews Air Force Base last night.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: We will send them Patriots, which they desperately need because Putin really surprised a lot of people. He talks nice and then he bombs everybody in the evening. So there's a little bit of a problem there. I don't like it.
INSKEEP: The impression is given that the person who is really surprised by Putin is President Trump himself. What went wrong with the president's confidence that he could get peace in Ukraine?
MAYNES: Yeah, you know, Trump seemed convinced he could leverage his personal relationship with Putin to, if not secure a peace agreement, then at least stop the fighting and work towards one. Moreover, you know, think back when Trump came into office, he seemed to really embrace Russian positions when it came to Ukraine. Remember, he blamed Ukraine for provoking Russia into the war. He suggested Moscow should be able to keep territory seized by force, and he outright rejected any future membership of Ukraine in NATO. You know, the problem has been that Putin wants more. He rejected Trump's efforts even for a temporary ceasefire, seemingly convinced that he could secure even better terms, if not outright victory, through military means.
INSKEEP: Continues to say things about addressing the root causes, meaning what Russia wants out of the war. Now that President Trump is talking differently, what do Russians think?
MAYNES: Well, at least the Kremlin is taking a wait-and-see approach, perhaps waiting also to see whether these U.S. arms deliveries through NATO include more offensive weapons that could strike inside Russia. I think they're also curious to see whether Trump includes new sanctions in his announcement today. In that sense, you know, it's been interesting to see Moscow remain fairly deferential to Trump, turning the other cheek, for example, even when Trump has used profane language to call Putin unserious about negotiations. I asked Sergei Poletaev with the analysis group Vatfor here in Moscow about this, and he argues that, in part, that's driven by an awareness that whatever Trump says today may not be what he thinks tomorrow.
SERGEI POLETAEV: (Speaking Russian).
MAYNES: So here, Poletaev says that Russia sees various groups around Trump trying to influence his decisions, and he's often influenced by whoever has his ear last. So Poletaev says, who knows when Trump's opinion towards Russia might change again?
INSKEEP: Well, when President Trump says that Putin bombs Ukraine in the evening, what is Russia doing in Ukraine lately?
MAYNES: Well, it seems to be ramping up the attacks more and more. So the war seems to be ramping up, not down. Maybe this was always naive for Trump to think that he could negotiate a peace quickly, but it does seem like we're at the end of this period where there was at least an attempt to find a diplomatic solution. You know, Trump's efforts here fell short because Putin seems convinced that time and numbers are on Russia's side. As one military analyst here in Moscow, who no longer gives interviews due to wartime censorship laws, told me the other day, you know, negotiations are over. This will now be settled on the battlefield.
INSKEEP: NPR's Charles Maynes. Thanks for your insights as always. Really appreciate it.
MAYNES: Thank you. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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