Putin Heads Into Trump Call Confident That He Has Upper Hand

Vladimir Putin believes he has a strong hand ahead of a phone call Monday with Donald Trump as European leaders are trying to prevent the US president from rushing through a deal.

Putin is confident that his forces can break through Ukraine’s defenses by the end of the year to take full control of four regions that he has claimed for Russia, according to a person familiar with the Russian president’s thinking who asked not to named discussing private conversations.