Ukraine and Europe have no place at the negotiating table — Bild

A conversation between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian dictator Vladimir Putin suggests that "Russia has won this war". Negotiations are being conducted "over the heads of Ukrainians and Europeans".

This opinion was expressed by Carlo Masala, professor of international politics at the Bundeswehr University in Munich, in an interview with the German tabloid BILD.

What Putin and Trump's conversation means for Ukraine

Masala emphasized that the conversation between Trump and Putin about ending the war in Ukraine came as a surprise not only to the European Union, but also to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. He found out about the dialog after it was over.

The analyst believes that Europe will have no place at the negotiating table and will have to "accept the final result".

"This is an apocalyptic scenario. Negotiations are being conducted over the heads of Ukrainians and Europeans. The Europeans will have no place at the table. You will have to accept the result. And, unfortunately, this seems to be the case for Ukraine as well," the analyst said.

In his opinion, Putin will try to keep the occupied Ukrainian territories under his control and prevent further economic pressure on Russia, as this would force the dictator to compromise.

"Putin will applaud. This is the best thing that could have happened to him. European security forces won't stop him from launching another attack on the rest of Ukraine in a few years. So, Putin has won this war. He has achieved that the Americans have withdrawn from this conflict," emphasized Masala.

On the evening of February 12, Trump confirmed his conversation with Putin. In particular, they discussed the war in Ukraine.

During this dialogue, the Russian dictator invited the U.S. president to Moscow. The telephone conversation between them lasted an hour and a half.