‘Businesslike and constructive’ The Kremlin painted a rosy picture of Putin’s conversations with Trump during his first term. Now, the incoming president will have to make the first call.
As Donald Trump is sworn in for his second term as U.S. president, the Kremlin is watching closely to see what his return will mean for U.S.-Russia relations and Moscow’s ambitions in Ukraine. While the Kremlin welcomed the first Trump presidency with enthusiasm, relations are now noticeably cooler. With the unpredictable Trump taking office amid a war that Russian President Vladimir Putin has staked everything on — and which Trump insists he’ll swiftly resolve — Meduza looks back at how the Kremlin’s communications team described the two leaders’ calls during Trump’s first term and how their tone has changed since his re-election.
“Donald Trump asked to convey his wishes of happiness and prosperity to the Russian people, saying that the American people have warm feelings towards Russia and its citizens,” the Kremlin wrote in its summary of a January 28, 2017, phone call between Trump and his Russian counterpart. Trump had just taken office as the U.S. president for the first time, and according to Moscow’s press release, he and Putin got off on the right foot.
“Vladimir Putin, in turn, emphasized that the feeling is mutual, adding that for over two centuries Russia has supported the United States, was its ally during the two world wars, and now sees the United States as a major partner in fighting international terrorism. The two leaders agreed to maintain regular personal contacts. The conversation took place in a positive and constructive atmosphere.”
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The Kremlin regularly releases summaries of conversations between Putin and other world leaders, highlighting Russia’s perspective on the calls. However, what’s perhaps more intriguing than the topics of discussion is how Moscow’s spokespeople describe the mood of the call. And while there’s no way to know what the vibe was like when Trump and Putin spoke on the phone in January 2017, the Kremlin would paint their calls throughout Trump’s first term as friendly and cooperative.
Out of the 17 one-on-one calls between Trump and Putin mentioned on the Kremlin’s website, six, in addition to that first congratulatory call, were officially described as “constructive”:
- “The conversation was businesslike and constructive,” the Kremlin said of a May 2017 call, reportedly focused on “cooperation in the international arena.”
- “On the whole, the conversation was constructive and businesslike, with a focus on overcoming the accumulated problems in Russian-American relations,” the Kremlin commented on a March 2018 call on “practical cooperation in various areas.”
- “The two heads of state expressed satisfaction with the businesslike and constructive nature of the conversation,” the Kremlin wrote of May 2019 call on “economic cooperation.”
- “They expressed satisfaction with their constructive and meaningful conversation,” the Kremlin said of a May 2020 call during which the two leaders reportedly “exchanged greetings” ahead of the 75th anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II and discussed the COVID-19 pandemic.
- “The conversation was constructive, businesslike and substantive,” the Kremlin described a June 2020 conversation during the COVID-19 pandemic.
- “The conversation was constructive and substantive,” the Kremlin repeated again in July 2020, about a call on bilateral efforts “to maintain international peace and security.”
The claim that both sides “expressed satisfaction” with their conversation was mentioned three times, including in a summary of a November 2017 call broadly centered on the situation in Syria at the time, as well as general “joint antiterrorist efforts.”
The Kremlin also made a point of highlighting Putin’s gratitude to Trump and the U.S. for various forms of support, ranging from “information sent through special services that has helped thwart terrorist acts in Russia” to “the supply of U.S. ventilators” during the COVID-19 pandemic. A summary of a call in 2019 said that when Trump offered help with putting out the wildfires in Siberia, Putin “expressed sincere gratitude for the kind attention and the offer of help and assistance” (even though he reportedly declined the help as unnecessary). “The President of Russia regards the U.S. President’s offer as a sign that it is possible that full-scale bilateral relations will be restored in the future,” the Kremlin added.
‘Signals will come from Washington’
Whether the future of the Trump-Putin relationship will be as rosy as it once seemed is far from certain. For one, Trump’s first term didn’t exactly meet Russia’s expectations. While he imposed sanctions at a slower pace than the Obama administration did following Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014, he still continued to tighten the screws — hardly the relief Moscow may have been hoping for. Moreover, much has changed since then, most notably the Kremlin’s full-scale war against Ukraine, which Trump has declared he’ll resolve by forcing Moscow and Kyiv to agree to a peace deal.
“The [reason for optimism] is not very clear. Trump is an impulsive person — he wants to get his way,” a source close to the government told Meduza right after Trump’s win in the 2024 U.S. elections. “Maybe he’ll have some impact on Ukraine, but a deal means making concessions, including from Russia. And so far, it doesn’t look like President [Putin] is ready for any concessions.”
The day after the U.S. elections, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said he was unaware of any plans for Putin to call and congratulate Trump, as the U.S. is an “unfriendly country.” Less than a week later, on November 11, he denied reports that the two leaders had spoken on the phone. Instead (at least officially), Putin used the Q&A after his November 7 speech at the Valdai Discussion Club to offer indirect congratulations to Trump (which Peskov later clarified should “be considered official”).
Putin also hinted that he wouldn’t be the one to make the first move. “[A]t one point, the leaders of Western countries called me almost every week and then suddenly they stopped,” he said at Valdai. “If they don’t want [to talk], there’s no need to. As you can see, we’re alive and well — we’re developing, moving forward. If any of them want to resume contact, I’ve always said and I want to say it again: We have nothing against it.”
On January 13, Trump’s nominee for national security advisor, Mike Waltz, told ABC News that the incoming U.S. president was expected to hold a phone call with Putin “in the coming days and weeks.”
When asked three days later which of the leaders should pick up the phone first, Yuri Ushakov, one of Putin’s aides, made it clear that Trump would have to take the initiative. “Typically, it is the incoming president or head of government who makes the first call,” Ushakov explained. “I wouldn’t want to give the impression that we’re just sitting and waiting. We calmly understand the entire situation and know that sooner or later, some signals will come from Washington.”
Whether the Kremlin will still rush to describe future Putin–Trump calls as “constructive,” “substantive,” or “satisfactory” remains to be seen.
