US President Donald Trump has said that Russia and Ukraine will "immediately" begin talks towards a ceasefire and the end of the war, following a two-hour phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Describing the call as having gone "very well", Trump also said that the conditions for peace must be negotiated directly between the two countries.
The former president spoke with both Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on the same day. However, despite his optimism, there is little indication that a ceasefire or peace deal is near.
Putin said Russia was willing to begin work on a memorandum outlining a potential future peace agreement. Zelensky, meanwhile, called the moment “defining”, and urged the US to remain fully involved in the process.
Speaking after his separate call with Trump, Zelensky repeated Ukraine’s demand for a "full and unconditional ceasefire". He warned that if Moscow was unwilling to comply, then stronger sanctions should be considered.
The Russian president, however, did not mention Western demands for a 30-day unconditional ceasefire.
Earlier, Zelensky said Ukraine must be part of any decision-making and insisted that no talks should take place about Ukraine without Ukrainian representation. He described these as "matters of principle".
Also read: US imposes visa curbs on Indian travel firms over migration
Zelensky said he had not yet received details of the Russian memorandum but would respond once it was shared with Kyiv.
Posting on his Truth Social platform, Trump claimed: "Russia and Ukraine will immediately start negotiations toward a Ceasefire and, more importantly, an END to the War." He said he had briefed Zelensky in a second call, which also included other world leaders.
He added: "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."
Zelensky responded by stressing the need for both American and European involvement in the talks.
“It is crucial for all of us that the United States does not distance itself from the talks and the pursuit of peace, because the only one who benefits from that is Putin,” he said.
Speaking at a White House event later, Trump said the US would continue to push for negotiations but had set a "red line" in his mind over how far he would go.
He denied that the US was stepping back from its role as a broker.
Trump has recently warned that he may withdraw from the talks out of frustration at the lack of progress from both Moscow and Kyiv.
Asked about Putin, Trump said he believed the Russian leader "has had enough of the war and wants it to end".
Putin, who took Trump’s call while visiting a music school in Sochi, described the discussion as "frank, informative and constructive".
He confirmed that Russia was ready to work on a peace memorandum with Ukraine. This, he said, would outline "a number of positions", including the principles of a settlement, a timeline for peace, and a possible temporary ceasefire.
However, Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov said no specific ceasefire dates were discussed, though Trump had made clear his desire for swift progress.
Zelensky’s second call with Trump included European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and the leaders of France, Italy, Germany and Finland.
Von der Leyen thanked Trump for his "tireless efforts" and stressed that continued US involvement was essential.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said the Pope's offer to host peace talks at the Vatican had been welcomed by the US and other European leaders on the call.
Earlier this month, the Pope had suggested the Vatican as a venue after Putin rejected a previous offer from Zelensky to meet in Turkey.
However, Kyiv has previously dismissed Putin’s talk of peace as disingenuous.
“Putin wants war,” said Andriy Yermak, a top aide to the Ukrainian president, following what Ukraine called its largest drone attack since the invasion began.
Ten civilians have reportedly died in recent Russian strikes, including nine on a minibus in north-eastern Ukraine. Russia claims to have intercepted several Ukrainian drones.
The attack occurred just hours after the two countries held their first in-person talks in over three years. While a prisoner swap was agreed, no truce was declared.
Trump had offered to attend talks in Turkey if Putin joined, but the Russian leader declined.
Russia has previously announced temporary ceasefires, including a brief truce during its WWII victory celebrations in May and a 30-hour Easter truce. Kyiv rejected both, citing mistrust and demanding a full 30-day ceasefire.
Follow us
