Decoding the call: What the Trump-Putin exchange means for global politics

This week, Mark Leonard is joined by Kirill Shamiev, a policy fellow with ECFR’s Wider Europe programme, to dissect the outcomes and implications of the historic phone call between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin—which, at two-and-a-half-hours, was the longest between American and Russian leaders in history. 

Mark and Kirill explore the three key outcomes: a prisoner exchange of 175 individuals from each side; an agreement to cease attacks on energy infrastructure for 30 days; and a shift from informal diplomacy to official expert discussions on conflict settlement.  

The conversation also delves into the contrasting post-call read-outs from the White House and the Kremlin; where Russia is projecting assertiveness, the US has adopted a more diplomatic tone. What does the phone call mean for the Ukraine conflict? And why is Europe conspicuously absent from the discussion? 

This podcast was recorded on 19 March 2025.

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