US President Donald Trump has declared that Russia and Ukraine will “immediately start negotiations toward a ceasefire” following a lengthy phone conversation with Vladimir Putin, a claim that drew cautious international reactions and left key questions unanswered.
Trump’s announcement, delivered via a post on his Truth Social platform, came after a two-hour call with the Russian president that he described as having gone “very well”. He added: “The tone and spirit of the conversation were excellent.”
US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed the Ukraine war in a two-hour phone call.Credit: Getty
According to Trump, the Vatican had expressed interest in hosting the proposed talks. “Let the process begin!” he wrote.
The war sparked by Putin’s invasion, now in its third year, has claimed hundreds of thousands of lives and displaced millions of people. Previous rounds of peace talks have collapsed amid continued fighting and mutual mistrust.
While the US president projected optimism after the call on Monday, Washington time, little evidence from Moscow indicated Russia’s position on the war had shifted.
Putin, speaking to Russian state media, confirmed the conversation and said Moscow was prepared to work with Kyiv on a memorandum laying the groundwork for peace, including a possible ceasefire “for a certain amount of time”, but stopped short of making firm commitments.
“We agreed with the US president that Russia will propose and is ready to work with the Ukrainian side on a memorandum about the possible future peace agreement,” he said.
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