President Donald Trump has made a call to Russian President Vladimir Putin in an effort to come to a ceasefire agreement between Russia and Ukraine.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump said the 2-hour phone call was “excellent” and garnered real results.
“Just completed my two-hour call with President Vladimir Putin of Russia,” Trump said. “I believe it went very well. Russia and Ukraine will immediately start negotiations toward a Ceasefire and, more importantly, an END to 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. The tone and spirit of the conversation were excellent. If it wasn’t, I would say so now, rather than later. Russia wants to do largescale TRADE with the United States when this catastrophic “bloodbath” is over, and I agree.”
Trump noted this would be a “tremendous” opportunity for Russia to create “massive amounts” of jobs and wealth.
“Its potential is UNLIMITED. Likewise, Ukraine can be a great beneficiary on Trade, in the process of rebuilding its Country,” Trump said. “Negotiations between Russia and Ukraine will begin immediately. I have so informed President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, of Ukraine, Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, President Emmanuel Macron, of France, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, of Italy, Chancellor Friedrich Merz, of Germany, and President Alexander Stubb, of Finland, during a call with me, immediately after the call with President Putin. The Vatican, as represented by the Pope, has stated that it would be very interested in hosting the negotiations. Let the process begin!
According to the Associated Press, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the call was underway shortly after 10 a.m. Monday.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the conversation was “important given the talks that took place in Istanbul” last week, when Russian and Ukraine officials met for the first time since 2022.
“He’s grown weary and frustrated with both sides of the conflict,” Leavitt told reporters. “He has made it clear to both sides that he wants to see a peaceful resolution and ceasefire as soon as possible.”
Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff said the president’s “sensibilities are that he’s got to get on the phone with President Putin, and that is going to clear up some of the logjam and get us to the place that we need to get to. I think it’s going to be a very successful call.”
However, some fear that Trump’s relationship with Putin could put Ukraine at a disadvantage, with Bridget Brink saying she resigned from her role as U.S. ambassador to Ukraine “because the policy since the beginning of the administration was to put pressure on the victim Ukraine, rather than on the aggressor, Russia.”
Brink said the sign that she needed to depart was an Oval Office meeting in February where Trump and his team openly berated Zelenskyy for not being sufficiently deferential to them.
“I believe that peace at any price is not peace at all,” Brink said. “It’s appeasement, and as we know from history, appeasement only leads to more war.”
