As ever with Vladimir Putin, timing is everything.

Initiating a phone call with Donald Trump on the eve of Volodymyr Zelenskyy‘s visit to the White House was no coincidence.

The Kremlin is acutely aware of the American president’s apparent shift in sympathy towards Ukraine, and it’s fearful that it could translate into Kyiv being given permission to use US Tomahawk missiles.

This was a clear attempt to stave off the weapons – which Moscow regards as a dangerous escalation – and bring Donald Trump back around to Russia’s way of thinking.

Judging by the White House readout of Thursday’s call, Vladimir Putin appears to have had some success.

Instead of threats and castigation, Trump’s rhetoric towards Russia is once again warm and fuzzy.

He described the call as “very productive,” claimed the leaders made “great progress,” and – crucially – we’re told there’ll be another summit.

But does that really count as progress? After the distinct lack of progress that followed Alaska, I expect Ukraine and its European allies will doubt whether Budapest will be any different.

What happens next?

There is a chance that Trump could still give Zelenskyy what he wants in terms of firepower at their meeting today, but I doubt it. If he does, Putin would be forced to respond, and Budapest would be bust.

The call, and its outcome, follows a similar pattern.

Just as Trump seems poised to throw his support behind Ukraine and apply pressure on Russia, in a manner that’s more than merely verbal, Putin somehow manages to talk him down and buy more time, despite showing no sign of compromise or making any concrete concessions.

There was the demand back in March for a 30-day truce, which Putin countered by offering a ceasefire on strikes targeting energy infrastructure only.

In May, Trump tried again, but this time with the threat of joining Europe and imposing massive sanctions. Putin’s response – direct talks with Ukraine.

And don’t forget Trump’s 50-day, then 12-day, deadline in the summer for Russia to end the war or face economic fury. That’s what triggered the Alaska summit.

This feels like history is repeating itself.

How does Putin do it? His tactic seems to be the same each time – offer Trump something he can present as a breakthrough, and serve it with lashings of bald-faced flattery.

In this case, he congratulated Trump on his “great accomplishment” of the Gaza ceasefire; he thanked the first lady for her intervention on Ukraine’s missing children; and he agreed to (or perhaps proposed) another face-to-face photo-op.

Back on EU soil with a smile

If Budapest happens, Trump will get what he wants – a TV moment to serve as the latest illustration of his peace-making presidency.

But perhaps the bigger prize will be Putin’s, who’ll be welcomed on to EU soil for the first time since the war began, despite Europe’s ongoing sanctions on Russia.

You can already see his smile.

It feels like a game of diplomatic chess.

Just before another meeting with the Ukrainian president at the White House on Friday, Donald Trump telephoned the Russian one.

Amid speculation that the US could give Ukraine access to Tomahawk cruise missiles, something has shifted on the board.

Ukraine war latest: Trump and Putin agree location to meet again

The prospect of more military support for Kyiv may have been the catalyst for Russia’s return to the table.

High-level officials from Washington and Moscow will meet next week.

Mr Trump and Vladimir Putin, who last came face-to-face in Alaska two months ago, will meet again soon in Budapest, Hungary.

Asked if the US president still believes he can get Mr Putin and Volodymyr Zelenskyy together soon, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said: “I think he thinks it’s possible, and he would, of course, love to see that happen.”

But there’s currently no plan for the Ukrainian leader to join Trump and Putin in Hungary, and that will be a concern for Kyiv and its European allies.

How does call impact Ukraine’s Tomahawk request?

It’s difficult to envisage the US granting Ukraine’s request for Tomahawk cruise missiles against the backdrop of these diplomatic manoeuvres.

Read more:
Could Tomahawk missiles be a game-changer for Ukraine?
Why emboldened Trump has changed his stance on Ukraine

Mr Trump had already done a handbrake turn, from telling Mr Zelenksyy “you don’t have the cards” to suggesting Ukraine could win back all its land.

Now he appears to be looking in the rear view mirror, back to the Alaskan summit, where his hopes of brokering a ceasefire were dashed.

He’s expressing hope that the end of the war in the Middle East could have a knock-on effect in Ukraine – one man on a mission to end two wars.

Hamas has told Sky News that it is committed to every detail of the ceasefire agreement but says it faces “enormous difficulties” in recovering the remaining bodies of Israeli hostages.

Hazem Qassem, a Hamas spokesperson based in Gaza, said that recovering and identifying the bodies would require specialist equipment that no longer exists in the enclave and said that some of the hostages had been “vaporised” during Israeli military attacks.

He also said that the question of disarmament, which has been repeatedly highlighted by both American and Israeli politicians, was “complex and sensitive” with a need to avoid an “extremely dangerous security vacuum”.

Gaza latest: Trump issues a warning to Hamas

Qassem was interviewed by journalists working for Sky News. International journalists are barred by Israel from entering Gaza independently.

The ceasefire deal initiated by Donald Trump mandated that Hamas should return all of the hostages it was holding, both living and dead.

So far, all 20 living hostages have been returned to Israel, while the remains of nine hostages have been handed over. That leaves a further 19 dead hostages unaccounted for.

Read more from Sky News:
Hamas battles rival militias for control of Gaza

Israel has alleged that Hamas is breaching the terms of the agreement by deliberately delaying the return of bodies.

Mr Qassem flatly denies this and says it is all but impossible for them to now reach the remains of captives with the equipment they have.

He said: “We need heavy machinery, cranes, and specialised equipment for identifying remains, none of which exist in Gaza. All our heavy equipment was completely destroyed, as were all forensic laboratories.

“Therefore, we need technical teams capable of identifying bodies and dealing with the immense rubble. The mediators understand that.”

He continued: “There are major difficulties in locating and reaching sites due to the destruction and the change in the geography of the areas. That means it all requires more time and effort. There is a great effort underway and Hamas is working to fully implement the agreement.

“We explained all this to the mediators from the outset, and they understood. We even heard from US President Trump that he acknowledged the difficulty of this issue, saying we showed a genuine intention to return the bodies.”

What has Hamas said on disarmament?

Trump has also been vocal about the need for disarmament, another stipulation in the agreement, even if it is vaguely expressed.

👉 Listen to Sky News Daily on your podcast app 👈

Mr Qassem made it clear to our team that, in the minds of Hamas, the subject still requires much more debate.

“We emphasise that there must be no security vacuum, because a vacuum is extremely dangerous,” he said.

“There must be effort toward reforming administrative structures to prevent such a void.

“The issue of weapons is complex and sensitive, requiring national consensus and political approaches to solve this dilemma. We must avoid being trapped by the term ‘disarmament’ but instead find nationally agreed approaches to deal with the weapons issue.”

Read more:
Renewed appeal for donations to Gaza charities
Call for inter-Arab force to stop Hamas retaking Gaza
Will Trump stay the course over Gaza?

He claimed prisoners returned by Israel showed signs of torture, claiming there were “descriptions and testimonies that are too gruesome to mention in the media” and demanded “immediate accountability”.

Israel has denied the mistreatment of prisoners, saying they are offered medical treatment while in detention.

Hamas comments on execution videos

Qassem also alleged that Israel was stoking violence in Gaza by supporting armed militias, who he accused of “high treason – the most severe charge in Palestinian revolutionary law”.

Sky News recently reported on links between Israel and the Abu Shabab rebel group, which is based in Gaza but opposes Hamas.

Our team asked Qassem about images widely spread on social media that appeared to show people being executed on the street.

Qassem claimed the clashes were a result of action taken by government security forces, and not Hamas itself, but said that some people had been “turned in” after accusations that they had colluded with Israel.

“The most important point we stress is that these chaotic incidents must be decisively contained. The security forces are carrying out their lawful duty to impose order and prevent anarchy, holding offenders accountable.”