Trump and Putin prepare for talks on Ukraine: When and what to expect

When Trump and Putin to speak and topic of their discussion

Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump announced that he would have a phone call with Putin on March 18. The US President expressed hope that he and Putin "will be able to make some statements" regarding the US ceasefire proposal for Ukraine.

"We want to see if we can put an end to this war. Maybe we can, maybe we can’t, but I think we have a very good chance. A lot of work was done over the weekend (Trump spent the weekend in Florida, where he has a residence - ed.)," Trump was quoted as saying by the Associated Press.

According to Trump, he will discuss with the Russian leader "the division of certain assets" - particularly, "territories and power plants."

When asked about potential concessions in the ceasefire negotiations, Trump responded: "We will talk about land. We will talk about power plants."

Meanwhile, CNN also reported that future negotiations will focus on "territories" and "energy facilities." Reuters indicated that Trump and Putin will likely discuss control over the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) during their talks.

Later, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov confirmed to Russian state media that the call between Putin and Trump is indeed scheduled for Tuesday.

"Yes, that is correct. A conversation is being prepared for Tuesday," Peskov stated, adding that the Kremlin would not disclose details of the upcoming discussion.

Previous contacts between Trump and Putin

This will be the second official conversation between Trump and Putin during Trump's second presidential term. Their last call took place in February when the US President first spoke with Putin and then called Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

On February 12, in his Truth Social post, Trump stated that he had a "lengthy and very productive conversation" with the Kremlin leader.

"We both agreed that we want to stop the millions of deaths happening in the Russia-Ukraine war... We agreed to work together very closely, including visiting each other’s countries. We also agreed that our respective teams should immediately begin negotiations," Trump wrote.

At that time, Trump also announced the composition of his negotiation team, which would work on a peace agreement between Ukraine and Russia. Members of this team have already held talks with both Kyiv and Moscow.

According to the Kremlin, the last conversation between Putin and Trump lasted nearly 90 minutes. Russian sources claimed that they discussed Middle East affairs and US-Russia relations. Peskov also stated that Putin had invited Trump to visit Moscow.

In addition, Trump previously claimed that he had spoken with Putin by phone on February 7, but the Kremlin denied that such a conversation took place. However, it was later revealed that Trump’s Special Envoy for the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, had traveled to Moscow to negotiate the release of Mark Fogel, a US citizen sentenced in Russia, in exchange for Russian Alexander Vinnik.

Witkoff was also in Moscow on March 13, this time to discuss a temporary ceasefire. The 30-day truce proposal was initially discussed during talks in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, between US and Ukrainian delegations. Ukraine agreed to the ceasefire, provided that Russia reciprocates.

Following his visit to the Kremlin, Witkoff gave a positive assessment, stating that he saw "some progress" in negotiations with both Russia and Ukraine.

To find out more, read our material on the topic.

Sources: Associated Press, CNN, Reuters, RIA Novosti.