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Putin's Creaky War Machine Gets Lifeline From Trump-Led Thaw

U.S. President Donald Trump's pursuit of a better relationship with Moscow must not include easing sanctions on Russia that impact Vladimir Putin's ability to wage war, a Ukrainian think tank has told Newsweek.

After a phone call with Trump on Tuesday, Russian President Putin agreed to a limited ceasefire in Ukraine but pushed back on plans for an immediate 30-day truce.

Further talks are scheduled between officials from Moscow and Washington on Sunday but whatever negotiations occur, the U.S.-led measures that have complicated Putin's ability to fund and equip its war machine should not cease, according to the Kyiv School of Economics think tank, the KSE Institute.

Analysis by the think tank outlines how despite Putin's record spending, Russia's military industrial complex (MIC) is still beset by labor and component shortages, a collapse in arms exports and difficulties in modernizing.

"This is the exact wrong time to take the foot off the gas," Benjamin Hilgenstock, KSE senior economist and one of the report's coauthors, told Newsweek.

Newsweek has contacted the State Department for comment.

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