European leaders stunned by Trump's account of agreements with Putin - FT

Trump's conversation with European leaders

After his talk with the Kremlin leader, the American president contacted the presidents of Ukraine, France, and Finland - Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Emmanuel Macron, and Sauli Niinistö - as well as the prime ministers of the UK and Italy, Keir Starmer and Giorgia Meloni, the German chancellor Friedrich Merz, and the European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen.

During this phone call on May 19, Trump relayed to them his conversation with Putin.

According to the German chancellor, all participants "reaffirmed their willingness to closely support Ukraine on its path toward a ceasefire."

Europe's reaction

Meanwhile, writes the FT, two people familiar with the conversation with European leaders said Trump indicated that he would withdraw the US from the Ukraine-Russia conflict and leave the countries to negotiate a ceasefire directly among themselves.

The Western media outlet also reports that the US president did not promise future sanctions from the US against Russia if Putin refuses to make any attempts to end the war and bring peace closer.

"One person familiar with the conversation said the leaders were stunned by the US president’s description of what was agreed. They added it was clear Trump was 'not ready to put greater pressure' on Putin to come to the negotiating table in earnest," the FT publication says.

Trump's loud statements after call with Putin

After the phone call with Putin on May 19, Trump posted on social media that "Russia and Ukraine will immediately start negotiations toward a ceasefire and, more importantly, an end to the war."

At the same time, the US president implied that he wants Kyiv and Moscow to seek an agreement without Washington’s mediation.

American media highlighted Trump’s comments, suggesting that the US might be stepping back from the role of mediator in ending the Russia-Ukraine war.

In particular, Trump said that the conditions of a possible agreement could only be agreed upon by the warring parties, as "they know details of a negotiation that nobody else would be aware of."

He also said the Vatican would be "very interested" in conducting negotiations. Later that day, near the White House Rose Garden, Trump told reporters he believes Putin supposedly wants peace.

Putin's restrained statements

Meanwhile, Putin made a more cautious statement to the media following his conversation with Trump. In it, he did not propose significant changes to the Kremlin’s position.

In his restrained statement, Putin said he is "ready to work" with Ukraine on a memorandum to prepare future talks that may include a possible ceasefire "for a certain amount of time."

The Kremlin leader also said his conversation with Trump was "very candid and therefore very useful." However, Putin said nothing about serious changes in Moscow’s stance on the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Additionally, the Russian president repeated the thesis that Russia’s main goal remains to "eliminate the root causes of this crisis," signaling that the core demands and aims of the war remain unchanged.

What Zelenskyy said

Meanwhile, the Ukrainian president publicly urged the US leader on Monday evening not to distance himself from peace efforts, emphasizing that "only one who benefits from that is Putin."

Zelenskyy also called for "strengthening sanctions" against Russia by Ukraine’s Western partners.

"It is not necessary to convince Ukraine, and our representatives are prepared to make real decisions in negotiations," Zelenskyy said in a statement late on Monday. "What’s needed is a mirrored readiness from Russia to engage in meaningful talks."

Earlier reports said that after the call with Putin, Trump said he does not currently want to increase sanctions pressure on Russia but did not rule out using such a mechanism in the future.

Moreover, the American leader characterized his conversation with Putin as having "some progress."

You can discover why Trump called Putin and what Zelenskyy says about it in our separate article.