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The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
World
Andrew Roth in Washington

How Trump’s diplomacy resembles a game of broken telephone

Daily newspapers with covers, dedicated to the recent phone call of Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump, are laid out at a newsstand in a street in Moscow
Donald Trump has sought to control the information that comes out of his private discussions with foreign leaders. A high-stakes test awaits in Saudi Arabia on Monday with talks on Ukraine. Photograph: Maxim Shemetov/Reuters

Donald Trump’s shuttle diplomacy between Russia and Ukraine has at times resembled a game of broken telephone, and the US president’s disregard for the details suggests the ceasefire he seeks is further off than his bullish statements may suggest.

Consider the events of just the last week. After his call with Vladimir Putin on Tuesday, Trump said that the two men had agreed to a partial ceasefire on “energy and infrastructure” targets, indicating that Russia would not target bridges, hospitals, railways or other civilian structures.

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