Trump, after speaking with Putin and Zelensky: "Russia and Ukraine will immediately begin ceasefire negotiations."
Leaders in Washington and Moscow are optimistic, although the reality is that understanding between the parties has been stalled for months.
WashingtonUS President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin called each other again this Monday to advance negotiations for a ceasefire in the war in Ukraine. The two leaders spoke for more than hours, according to Russian news agencies. After hanging up the phone, Putin claimed that Trump had said he believes Russia wants a peaceful resolution to the conflict, according to the TASS news agency. The Russian gave a positive assessment of the conversation. Shortly afterward, Trump echoed Putin's sentiment: "I think it went very well," he wrote on Truth Social.
"Russia and Ukraine will immediately begin negotiations for a ceasefire, and even more importantly, for an end to the war. The terms will be negotiated by both sides, as they should be, since they know details of the negotiations that no one else would know," the Republican stated. However, talks to reach a ceasefire have been underway for weeks, and last week Putin withdrew from the first peace talks with the Ukrainian delegation in Türkiye. The meeting, which was the first in which both sides in the conflict had sat down to talk, ended without significant progress. Russia has not stopped bombing Ukraine at all since the dialogue table was created.
The Republican also called the Ukrainian Volodymyr Zelensky. The conversation with Zelensky, which was to take place after Putin's, ended up being held before, according to White House sources explained to Reuters. According to the Wall Street Journal Quoting a US government source, when Trump asked Zelensky what he should discuss with Putin, the Ukrainian told him that he should pressure him to accept the agreement for a 30-day ceasefire, agree to a future Putin-Zelensky meeting, and reiterate that Washington will not make any decisions without him. Ukraine recently signed an agreement with the United States to exploit its minerals and other natural resources. Washington's dealings with Kiev have changed slightly since the economic pact.
Shortly after the call, Zelensky told reporters that Kiev and its allies were considering organizing a meeting between Ukraine, Russia, the US, the UK, and EU countries to end the war, Reuters reported. Speaking to reporters in Kiev after two phone calls with Donald Trump, the Ukrainian leader said he hoped the meeting could take place as soon as possible and that it could take place in Turkey, the Vatican, or Switzerland.
Tiredness in Washington?
Hours earlier, Trump had announced on his Truth Social network that the call would be at 10 a.m. local time and that he would speak with Putin to "stop the massacre," and that he would then call Zelensky with the hope of having a "productive day."
In the post, Trump did not comment on this weekend's Russian attacks on Ukraine. On Saturday, 14 civilians were killed by Russian fire, and on Sunday, Moscow launched one of the worst drone attacks on Kiev since the war began. In April, after a similar attack that left nine dead and seventy wounded, Trump did express anger with Putin. "I am not satisfied with the Russian attacks on Kiev. They are unnecessary and come at a very bad time. Vladimir, stop!" he wrote at the time on Truth Social.
The United States has begun to show signs of fatigue in the negotiations, after months of no progress. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Vice President JD Vance have threatened that Washington could abandon its role as supposed mediator if no results are achieved. Although Russia has refused to accept the proposal for a 30-day truce, which kyiv has agreed to, the pressure remains on Zelensky, not Putin.
Before the call, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt linked the success of the conversation to a possible face-to-face meeting between Putin and Trump. Leavitt asserted that the US president is open to meeting with his Russian counterpart. At the same time, Vance said he hopes Trump will ask Putin if he is really willing to end the war. "We're seeing a bit of a stalemate, and I think the president will say to President Putin, 'Hey, are you serious? Are you serious?'" Vance told reporters aboard Air Force Two.
Business Ties
Trump also indicated that Russia wants to engage in "large-scale trade with the United States" once the war is over, something the president "agrees" with. "There is an immense opportunity for Russia to create enormous amounts of jobs and wealth. Its potential is unlimited. Likewise, Ukraine can be a great beneficiary in terms of trade as they rebuild their country," he said.
Monday's call is the third between Trump and Putin since the Republican assumed the US presidency at the end of January. In their last call, in March, Trump also raised expectations about the outcome, which ultimately resulted in a minimal agreement to stop attacking energy infrastructure just as winter was coming to an end. Kiev had no choice but to accept the agreement reached by Washington and Moscow while still dealing with US pressure with the threat of suspending military aid. Moscow has repeatedly welcomed the new shift by the White House, now much more willing to approach the Kremlin and make concessions in its favor.
