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#DinnerWithTrump
Former President Donald Trump has revealed a striking shift in tone regarding Russian President Vladimir Putin—at least behind closed doors. In a private call on Monday with top European leaders and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Trump admitted that Putin still believes he’s winning the war in Ukraine and is not ready to stop. This candid remark marks a departure from Trump’s usual public stance, where he portrays Putin as a leader who genuinely wants peace.

The call, first reported by The Wall Street Journal, included French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. It also highlighted Trump’s continued reluctance to take decisive action against Russia, despite European pleas for stronger U.S. pressure, such as new sanctions.

Talks Before and After Putin Call

Just a day prior to that call, on Sunday, Trump held discussions with Macron, Merz, Meloni, and newly elected UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer. He hinted at the possibility of sanctions—if Putin rejected a cease-fire proposal. Rather than pushing for immediate punitive measures, Trump proposed low-level diplomatic talks between Ukraine and Russia, suggesting they be held at the Vatican.

Zelensky joined the Monday call after European leaders spent ten days lobbying Trump to leverage U.S. influence to pressure Putin. Still, Trump declined to make firm commitments, reiterating his familiar refrain: “This isn’t my war. We got ourselves entangled in something we shouldn’t have been involved in.”

Some European leaders wanted the Vatican-hosted talks to be predicated on an unconditional cease-fire. Trump objected, despite a May 8 Truth Social post where he explicitly called for a “30-day unconditional cease-fire.” Eventually, European leaders abandoned the “unconditional” demand to keep the talks on track.

A More Assertive Europe Under Merz

The European diplomatic push has become more assertive since Friedrich Merz took over as Germany’s chancellor earlier in May. In contrast to his predecessor, Olaf Scholz, Merz has taken a firmer stance against Putin, even amending Germany’s constitution to allow increased military spending.

On May 10, Merz, along with Macron, Starmer, and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, made a surprise visit to Kyiv. While there, they called Trump using Macron’s phone and informed him that Zelensky supported a 30-day cease-fire. The European leaders warned Putin that new sanctions would follow if he failed to comply.

Putin, in a rare move, responded by offering direct talks with Ukraine—the first time in three years. Trump quickly embraced the idea and floated the possibility of traveling to Turkey to personally attend the negotiations. However, when the talks took place in Istanbul, Putin didn’t show up. Instead, he sent mid-level negotiators who reiterated Russia’s hardline positions, which Ukraine had already rejected.

Following that failed meeting, European leaders once again appealed to Trump for stronger action. While they agreed on minor sanctions, they are still working on more sweeping measures.

More Mixed Signals from Trump

Trump, undeterred by the lack of progress, said he plans to speak directly with Putin again, believing that a real peace deal hinges on a leader-to-leader conversation.

Interestingly, during Sunday’s call—prior to speaking with Putin—Trump expressed openness to U.S.-European cooperation on sanctions targeting Russian oil and financial institutions. Senator Lindsey Graham even claimed that he had secured 81 co-sponsors for a bill that would impose severe sanctions on Russia’s energy and banking sectors.

Despite some diplomatic progress, Trump’s style remained unchanged. He praised Merz’s English, saying, “I love it even more with your German accent.” But he also took the opportunity to criticize Europe’s migration policies, warning that European countries were on the “brink of collapse.” Macron, evidently frustrated, interjected: “You cannot insult our nations, Donald.”

Still, some on the call remained hopeful that Trump might ultimately support new sanctions—if Putin continues to reject peace. The next major step will be the Vatican talks, now scheduled for mid-June.
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#DinnerWithTrump
I get it — it feels like XRP should be pumping right now. Big partnerships, regulatory clarity, growing utility… yet the price is just sitting there. So what’s going on?

The short answer? Dark pools.

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Right now, institutions, hedge funds, even possibly governments are using these dark pools to scoop up XRP at low prices while the market’s asleep. And the crazy part? This hidden buying pressure actually keeps the price flat — on purpose.

It’s like they’re accumulating without setting off the alarm.

Meanwhile, retail traders — regular folks — look at the chart, see nothing exciting, and start losing faith. Some even sell out of boredom or frustration. But guess what? That’s exactly what these institutions want. They’re draining supply while everyone else is distracted or discouraged.

Eventually, the supply on public exchanges starts to dry up. And when demand suddenly does spike — boom. There’s nowhere near enough XRP available to buy, and the price gaps straight up. No sellers, only desperate buyers chasing candles.

That’s when we get explosive moves — 2x, 3x, even 5x gains — seemingly out of nowhere. But it’s not random. It’s the result of months of quiet, stealthy accumulation.

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So if you’re just watching public exchanges, you’re only seeing half the picture. The real moves? They’re being set up behind the scenes.

And when it comes to XRP, the timing could be even more dramatic. Imagine dark pool buying peaking just as regulatory clarity hits… or real-world utility kicks in. That’s when things go vertical.

So yeah, the price might look boring now. But the smart money isn’t watching the price — they’re watching the setup. If you’re patient, you could be buying at 50 cents today while others are scrambling to get in at $10 tomorrow.$ETH $XRP $BNB