US President Donald Trump held a two-hour phone call with Russian leader Vladimir Putin on Monday, after which he announced that Moscow and Kyiv would “immediately” start negotiations to end the war.
“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,” Trump said on his Truth Social platform. He described the discussion with Putin as “excellent.”
Trump went on to portray the phone call in a positive light, stating that Moscow was interested in a large-scale trade with Washington when the war is over. “There is a tremendous opportunity for Russia to create massive amounts of jobs and wealth. Its potential is UNLIMITED,” Trump continued. He also said that Ukraine “can be a great beneficiary on Trade.”
Trump said he informed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, French President Emmanuel Macron, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Finnish President Alexander Stubb about the contents of his phone call with Putin.
“The Vatican, as represented by the Pope, has stated that it would be very interested in hosting the negotiations. Let the process begin!” the US leader stressed.
Trump’s optimism over the phone call was echoed by Putin. Speaking to reporters in Sochi, Putin described the conversation with Trump as “very meaningful and frank” and said he was ready to work with Ukraine on drafting a memorandum for future peace talks.
However, Putin offered a less positive spin in terms of peace talks with Ukraine, stating that he rejected to support the US-proposed 30-day unconditional ceasefire, which Kyiv has already agreed to. Putin also suggested that Kremlin’s maximalist objectives in the war in Ukraine remained unchanged.
Russia has consistently rejected to accept the one-month ceasefire deal put forward by Trump administration. On Monday, Putin claimed Russia supported a halt to hostilities, but insisted it was necessary to “identify the most effective paths toward peace.”
