US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke by phone on Tuesday about the war in Ukraine, a call Washington hoped would persuade Moscow to accept a 30-day ceasefire and move toward a permanent peace deal, Reuters reports.
Both sides confirmed that the talks, which began at 10 a.m. Eastern Time, have concluded.
White House Chief of Staff Dan Skavino previously said the conversation "went well."
Kirill Dmitriev, Putin's envoy, said that under the leadership of Trump and Putin, the world has become a much safer place.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has agreed to US President Donald Trump's proposal that Russia and Ukraine stop targeting each other's energy infrastructure for a period of 30 days and has issued a corresponding order to the Russian military, the Kremlin said.
Ukraine has already agreed to a ceasefire, proposed by the United States, in the worst conflict in Europe since World War II, in which hundreds of thousands of people have been killed or wounded, millions displaced and cities razed to the ground.
Putin, whose forces invaded Ukraine in February 2022, said last week that he supported Washington's proposal for a ceasefire in principle, but that his troops would continue fighting until several key conditions were worked out, Reuters reports.
Trump also wants to ensure progress toward a long-term peace plan, which he has hinted could include territorial concessions from Kiev and control of Ukraine's Zaporozhye nuclear power plant.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said before the meeting that Trump and Putin would discuss resolving the conflict in Ukraine and normalizing relations between Russia and the United States, and that they would talk "as much as they deem necessary."
Peskov added that there is already a “certain understanding” between the two leaders, based on a phone conversation they had on February 12 and subsequent high-level contacts between the two countries.
Russia and Ukraine will exchange 175 prisoners of war from each side tomorrow, Putin said.
"Putin announced that on March 19, the Russian and Ukrainian sides will exchange 175 prisoners each," the Kremlin said in a statement.
ZELENSKI: SOVEREIGNTY IS NOT A SUBJECT OF NEGOTIATIONS
Trump's changes in American policy and his attempts to get closer to Putin since returning to the White House in January have raised concerns among traditional American allies.
Ukraine and its Western allies have long described the Russian invasion as an imperialist attempt to seize territory, while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has accused Putin of deliberately dragging out the war.
Zelensky, who arrived in Finland on Tuesday to discuss the NATO country's support for Ukraine, said that Ukraine's sovereignty is not up for negotiation and that Russia must hand over the occupied territories. He believes that Russia's ambitions will not stop with Ukraine if it is allowed to keep the conquered territories.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen warned on Tuesday that Russia had massively expanded its military industrial capacity in preparation for "future conflicts with European democracies."
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer spoke with Trump late on Monday, and his spokesman said Starmer "reiterated that everyone must work together to put Ukraine in the strongest possible position to achieve a just and lasting peace."
Russia annexed the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea in 2014 and controls most of four eastern Ukrainian regions following an invasion in February 2022. It currently controls about a fifth of Ukrainian territory.
Putin claims he sent troops to Ukraine because NATO expansion threatened Russia's security. He has also demanded that Ukraine drop its plans to join the military alliance.
Putin stressed that Russia must retain control over occupied Ukrainian territories, that Western sanctions should be eased, and that Kiev must hold presidential elections. Zelensky, who was elected in 2019, is ruling under martial law imposed because of the war.
See more:
Download the app and follow the news
FOLLOW US ON
