Trump Says He's 'Very Disappointed' With Putin

Geopolitical Strategy & Potential Risks - The Kremlin aims to influence the US through a meeting between Putin and Trump, potentially without Zelensky's or European presence, to achieve a Russia-favorable outcome in Ukraine [3][4] - A Trump-Putin meeting without Ukrainian or European participation raises concerns about potential concessions by the US that could be detrimental to Ukraine and Europe [6] - Russia seeks to separate bilateral relations with the US from the resolution of the war in Ukraine, aiming to build business relationships with the US regardless of the war's outcome [7][8] US-Russia Relations & Sanctions - The original deadline for Putin to agree to a truce to avoid secondary sanctions was August 8th, but there's no indication of a truce [5] - Discussions between Putin and US Special Envoy Steve Wyckoff suggest potential changes in US-Russia relations [6] - Russia views developing a good relationship with Trump as an opportunity to build business relationships with the US [7]