Trump Upends West’s Russia Strategy

• The Trump administration surprised many by seeming to take a tough line on Russia upon taking office last month, as Trump appointees threatened a potential major ramp-up of sanctions.

• Now comes President Donald Trump’s report of a warm phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin and a commitment by both leaders to start peace talks on the Ukraine war immediately.

• The mixed messaging mirrors his approach to Iran, on which he has also blown both hot and cold, and is likely to leave sanctions watchers scratching their heads.

After a “lengthy and highly productive” phone call with Putin on Wednesday, Trump said that a US team made up of Secretary of State Marco Rubio, CIA Director John Ratcliffe and National Security Adviser Michael Waltz would start negotiations with a Russian delegation “immediately” — catching Europe off-guard. As these talks unfold, sanctions will continue to be a useful leverage tool. But expectations now are of a less adversarial approach, including after a wave of prisoner releases, and of a pause at least in building sanctions pressures. Kremlin spokesman Dimitry Peskov said the issue of sanctions lifting was not raised during the call. Trump officials unveiling a peace plan at the Feb. 14-16 Munich Security Conference, as some reports indicate, would further rattle Europe.