I watched the whole charade/parade (you choose what to call it) yesterday and watched the press conference with US President Donald Trump and the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin.

It was obvious they were never gonna reach a ceasefire, mostly because you can't reach a ceasefire if one of two countries directly involved in this conflict isn't present.

Since I'm bored and I haven't had my coffee yet, I'm gonna break down what, in my opinion, are the reasons Donald Trump can brag about how this whole thing went, and the reasons why Vladimir Putin can do the same.

First US-hosted meeting between US and Russia since 2007, and Russia's first trip the 'west' since the full-scale invasion

This, in my view, is something both leaders can write home about, but more of a win for Russia.

For Russia, it means the country finally got one of the things it wanted: to be taken seriously. There several countries and leaders (and of course Ukraine) that believe no one should deal, talk, negotiate with Russia.

So this was a win for Putin, because it was like saying, "see we're invited at the high-stake table, no one else was, not even Ukraine".

For Trump, this meant he could say, "see, they wouldn't even speak with us when Biden was in office, but they're talking to me."

Putin and The Beast

This is definitely a win for the US.

The US President only travels aboard 'The Beast', the bulletproof Cadillac that's used as presidential limo.

But Putin accepted to ride in The Beast as well, alongside Trump.

If the boot had been on the other foot, this probably wouldn't have happened.

The B-2 Bomber moment

A B-2 Bomber flanked by a flock of F-35 flew overhead the exact moment Putin and Trump stepped on the podium.

This was well-timed, and it was a show of force.

As in, 'don't forget who we are and what we've got'.

Win for the US.

"Next time in Moscow"

It is an open secret that Putin speaks decent English but refuses to and prefers to use translators.

However, after the press conference, he told Trump "next time in Moscow", in English.

This is a win for two reasons, and both have to do with propaganda. And Putin is a propaganda master.

The Russian President addressing POTUS in English is like you going on holiday in Spain and forcing a "una cerveza por favor" into the conversation.

It'll make people smile and go, 'well at least you're trying.'

Second, it's an open invite.

Trump can say no, of course, but then Putin will be able to say, 'see? We invited him over but he said no'.

It felt like Ukraine was like the fourth item on the agenda

I read somewhere that 'Trump didn't lose, but Putin won'.

I tend to agree with this.

The truth is, this meeting showed once more that Ukraine is not a priority for the US. They talked about a thousand different things, and I bet Ukraine was like the fourth item on the list.

The only thing everyone's expecting, a ceasefire, didn't happen and it feels like it's not gonna happen without Russia's (and Ukraine's) say so.

Disclaimer:

I'm not a citizen of the US, Ukraine or Russia. This means that, like everybody else, I have skin in the game, but only very indirectly.

This isn't a eulogy or a reprimand towards Trump or Putin, US or Russia, it's just an analysis of what I saw based on what I know.

I'm definitely looking forward to hearing what you think if you've watched the press conference