Bloomberg: Putin Believes He Has the Upper Hand Ahead of Phone Call with Trump

European leaders are trying to convince Trump not to rush to an agreement with the Russian president - The outcome of today's phone call may bring sanctions from Washington against Moscow

After all, Putin does not show readiness for significant concessions, maneuvering between negotiations and military actions, writes Bloomberg

Russian President Vladimir Putin will hold a telephone conversation with US President Donald Trump on Monday. "Putin believes he has the upper hand, and European leaders are trying to prevent the US president from rushing into a deal on Ukraine," Bloomberg writes.

MOSCOW - Russian President Vladimir Putin is confident in his strength ahead of a phone call with his U.S. counterpart Donald Trump today, and believes the Russian military can break through Ukrainian defenses and seize all four Ukrainian regions claimed by Moscow by the end of the year, Bloomberg reported today, citing a person familiar with Putin's thinking. That approach means the Kremlin leader is unlikely to offer Trump any major concession…

(Dan Tri) - Russia's continued prolongation of the negotiation process with Ukraine despite pressure from the US and Europe shows that Moscow believes it has the upper hand.