U.S. President Donald Trump posted the following on his Truth Social site, following his call today with Russian President Vladimir Putin, his prior call with Zelenskyy, and following call with several European leaders, identified in the post:
“Just completed my two hour call with President Vladimir Putin of Russia. 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 large scale TRADE with the United States when this catastrophic ‘bloodbath’ is over, and I agree. There is 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. 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!”
For his part, President Putin emphasized from the outset of his short remarks to the press after they spoke that he considered the call “both substantive and quite candid. Overall, I believe it was a very productive exchange.” He reiterated at the conclusion of his remarks that “the conversation was highly constructive, and I assess it positively.”
Putin discussed the details of the call as follows:
“First and foremost, I expressed my gratitude to the President of the United States for the support provided by the United States in facilitating the resumption of direct talks between Russia and Ukraine aimed at potentially reaching a peace agreement and resuming the talks which, as we know, were thwarted by the Ukrainian side in 2022.
“The President of the United States shared his position on the cessation of hostilities and the prospects for a ceasefire. For my part, I noted that Russia also supports a peaceful settlement of the Ukraine crisis as well. What we need now is to identify the most effective ways towards achieving peace.
“We agreed with the President of the United States that Russia would propose and is ready to engage with the Ukrainian side on drafting a memorandum regarding a potential future peace agreement. This would include outlining a range of provisions, such as the principles for settlement, the timeframe for a possible peace deal, and other matters, including a potential temporary ceasefire, should the necessary agreements be reached.
“Contacts among participants of the Istanbul meeting and talks have resumed, which gives reason to believe that we are on the right track overall….
“The key issue, of course, is now for the Russian side and the Ukrainian side to show their firm commitment to peace and to forge a compromise that would be acceptable to all parties.
“Notably, Russia’s position is clear. Eliminating the root causes of this crisis is what matters most to us.”
Ursula van der Leyen posted that the call with Trump was “good,” adding, “I want to thank President Trump for his tireless efforts to bring a ceasefire to Ukraine. It’s important that the U.S. stays engaged. We will continue to support Volodymyr Zelenskyy to achieve lasting peace in Ukraine.”
Presidential aide Yuri Ushakov told reporters the two leaders talked about trading nine Russians for nine Americans in a prisoner swap as part of a discussion about improving bilateral relations. He further stated that the two leaders seemed to be open to meeting in person, adding that Trump told Putin he could call him “at any time.” Ushakov also asserted that Trump revealed that while the U.S. Senate was preparing potential sanctions against Russia, he, personally, would prefer deals and not more restrictions.
Apart from the Ukraine issue, Trump also said that he sees Moscow as one of Washington’s “most important” economic and trade partners, adding that there were “impressive prospects” for the two after the war is settled, according to Ushakov.
