U.S. President Donald Trump said Russia and Ukraine would immediately launch cease-fire discussions, while Russian President Vladimir Putin praised a two-hour phone call with Trump on Monday.
“Russia and Ukraine will immediately start negotiations toward a Ceasefire and, more importantly, an END to the War,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform after the call, which lasted over two hours.
“The conditions for that will be negotiated between the two parties, as it can only be, because they know details of a negotiation that nobody else would be aware of,” he added.
Trump said he had informed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, as well as the leaders of the European Commission, France, Italy, Germany and Finland of the outcome of his call with Putin.
He added that the Vatican had offered to host the negotiations, ending his post: “Let the process begin!” Trump did not provide any further details, such as who exactly would participate.
Ukrainian and Russian delegations met last week in Istanbul for the first time since 2022. The two sides agreed to a large prisoner exchange but did not achieve any major breakthrough in the war.
However, neither Putin, nor Trump, nor Zelenskyy attended those talks.
Trump said Monday’s call went “very well,” emphasizing that “the tone and spirit of the conversation were excellent.”
Speaking to state media in the Black Sea resort of Sochi, Putin also said the conversation had been substantive and useful.
“First of all, I thanked the President of the United States for the US support for the resumption of direct talks between Russia and Ukraine on a possible peace agreement,” he said.
He said that Russia is prepared to work on a memorandum with Ukraine that would include a cease-fire.
Putin emphasized that Russia wants to end the fighting but that the most effective path to peace must be found, and that both sides must make compromises, without specifying what these should be.
Trump noted that Russia aims to trade with the United States on a large scale after the end of the war. “There is a tremendous opportunity for Russia to create massive amounts of jobs and wealth,” he wrote.”
Trump added that Ukraine, too “can be a great beneficiary on Trade, in the process of rebuilding its Country.”
Trump had previously spoken to Putin twice on the phone since taking office in January – once in mid-February and again in mid-March.
Speaking at a press briefing in Sochi, Putin described the conversation with Trump as “frank and substantive,” saying that Trump acknowledged Russia’s commitment to a peaceful resolution of the crisis in Ukraine.
Putin expressed gratitude to Trump for supporting the resumption of direct negotiations in Istanbul between Moscow and Kyiv, emphasizing that the U.S. president outlined his position on the cease-fire between the two sides.
“The U.S. president expressed his position on the ceasefire and, for his part, also noted that Russia supports a peaceful settlement of the Ukrainian crisis; we just need to determine the most effective ways to move towards peace,” he said.
A truce with Ukraine, Putin said, is possible once relevant agreements are reached, and both Russia and Ukraine must find compromises that are mutually acceptable.
Trump first announced that he would be holding the call with the Russian leader in a social media post on Saturday. The Kremlin later that day confirmed that the conversation would be taking place.
Trump also said he will discuss trade issues with the Russian president.
The call follows a report by CNN citing the Ukrainian presidency that Trump started the day’s diplomacy with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy instead of Putin, although the U.S. president earlier announced otherwise. Trump had said he would call Putin at 10 a.m. (1400GMT), followed by a call with Zelenskyy and NATO officials.
It is unclear what prompted the reported change in plans. The White House declined to confirm or deny whether the Trump-Zelenskyy call had indeed taken place.
Trump described the talks as a step toward ending the “bloodbath,” claiming over 5,000 soldiers weekly. “HOPEFULLY IT WILL BE A PRODUCTIVE DAY,” he posted on Truth Social.
The call comes after Russian and Ukrainian delegates held their first direct talks in over three years in Istanbul on Friday.
After Trump’s inauguration in January, the first publicly announced telephone call between Trump and Putin was on Feb. 12.
Trump said then that both Putin and Ukrainian President Zelenskyy had expressed a desire for peace in separate phone calls, and Trump ordered top U.S. officials to begin talks on ending the war in Ukraine.
They spoke again on March 18. The Kremlin said they spoke for about 2 hours, one of the longest Putin calls.
Putin agreed to stop attacking Ukrainian energy facilities temporarily but declined to endorse a full 30-day cease-fire that Trump hoped would be the first step toward a permanent peace deal. Ukraine and Russia accused each other of breaking the moratorium on attacking energy facilities.
Putin, Trump did not discuss time frame for Ukraine cease-fire: Russian presidential aide
The Russian and U.S. presidents did not discuss a deadline or timeframe to reach a cease-fire in Ukraine, Russia’s presidential aide Yury Ushakov said.
“No, we did not discuss this, although Trump naturally emphasized his interest in swiftly reaching some sort of agreement,” he told reporters in Sochi.
Ushakov also disclosed that the U.S. and Russia are preparing another exchange of imprisoned citizens, with nine individuals expected to be returned by each side.
“Exchanges of imprisoned citizens of the two countries were mentioned. The presidents noted that another such exchange, nine persons from each side, is currently being arranged,” he said.
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