US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin held a crucial phone call on Tuesday, with the White House reporting that discussions aimed at securing a ceasefire in Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine were “going well.”
Trump has already signalled his willingness to discuss what portions of occupied Ukraine Russia may retain, stating over the weekend that Moscow and Washington were in talks about “dividing up certain assets.”
The call comes amid concerns in Kyiv and European capitals that the 78-year-old Republican may give in to Putin too easily, especially given his history of praising the Russian leader.
"President Trump is currently in the Oval Office speaking with President Vladimir Putin of Russia since 10:00 am (1400 GMT)," Deputy Chief of Staff Dan Scavino wrote on X nearly an hour into the call. "The call is going well and is still in progress."
While a ceasefire is still far from assured, Kyiv has agreed to suspend fighting for 30 days and enter negotiations with Russia after more than three years of Moscow’s invasion. However, Putin has set several conditions that must be met.
On his Truth Social platform late Monday, Trump stated that "many elements of a final agreement have been agreed to, but much remains" to be settled, adding that the talks were “getting down to a very critical stage.”
Before the call, Putin delivered a defiant anti-Western speech, claiming that even if sanctions on Russia were lifted, the West would continue to undermine the country. He mocked the G7 to loud applause, suggesting it was too small to even be visible on a map.
Ukraine has demanded that Russia accept the ceasefire “unconditionally.” "It is time for Russia to show whether it wants peace," said Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has repeatedly warned that Putin is not interested in peace but is instead trying to strengthen Russia’s military position before any ceasefire. For over three years, Russia has relentlessly bombarded Ukraine with drone and missile attacks, occupying large parts of southern and eastern Ukraine while making slow but steady advances in recent months.
Putin has insisted that a ceasefire would only benefit Ukraine, arguing that the Russian army is still "advancing." Moscow has also made it clear that it would not accept NATO peacekeeping forces in Ukraine and opposes US military aid to Ukraine—demands that may be presented to Trump during the talks.
The push toward a ceasefire began in February when Trump revealed he had spoken with Putin in a surprise move that broke Western efforts to isolate the Russian leader. In a later Oval Office meeting with Zelensky on February 28, Trump sharply criticized the Ukrainian president, leading to the temporary suspension of US military aid to Kyiv.
On Sunday, Trump suggested he would discuss "land" and "power plants" with Putin, likely referring to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, the largest in Europe, which was seized by Russia early in the invasion.
Zelensky has emphasized that any territorial discussions should occur only at the negotiating table after a ceasefire is in place.
Trump, who has pledged to end the conflict in Ukraine, blamed his predecessor Joe Biden’s policies for escalating the war. "It must end NOW," he wrote on Truth Social.
As Washington and Moscow prepared for the talks, Russia's Kursk region began evacuating several hundred civilians from areas that had been retaken from Ukraine last summer. The Kremlin hailed a recent offensive in the region as a major success, with Putin urging Ukrainian soldiers to surrender or face death.
In a tragic development, Russian pensioner Olga Shkuratova's husband was killed during fighting in her village of Goncharovka as Russian forces pushed out Ukrainian troops. "A shell hit. Everything was blown apart in a second. No house, no garage, no barn," the 62-year-old recounted as she was evacuated by volunteers.
