Trump announces conversation with Putin and reveals main topics
Photo: Donald Trump, President of the United States (Getty Images)
US President Donald Trump announced his intention to hold talks with Russia's Vladimir Putin on Tuesday, March 18. The conversation will take place as part of the American leader's insistence on ending Russia's war against Ukraine, Associated Press reports.
The US President made the announcement while speaking with journalists aboard Air Force One, which was flying from Florida to Washington.
"We will see if we have something to announce maybe by Tuesday. I will be speaking to President Putin on Tuesday,” Trump said.
He said: "A lot of work’s been done over the weekend. We want to see if we can bring that war to an end.”
The US President also outlined the main topics of his upcoming conversation with Putin. He said that the issues of territory and power plants would be part of the conversation about ending the Russian-Ukrainian war.
He did not specify which territories he was talking about - the Ukrainian lands temporarily occupied by the Russian invaders or the areas of the Kursk region controlled by the Ukrainian Defense Forces.
“We will be talking about land. We will be talking about power plants,” Trump said.
He also called it a “dividing up certain assets.”
US and Ukraine's proposal to Russia for ceasefire and negotiations issue between Trump and Putin
The delegations of Ukraine and the United States recently met in Saudi Arabia, during which the American side proposed a comprehensive ceasefire with Russia for 30 days. Ukraine agreed to this idea, but warned that Russia could violate the ceasefire.
Last week, US Special Representative Steve Witkoff visited Moscow to discuss the proposal. However, as it turned out, Putin did not give a final answer on the ceasefire. Instead, the Kremlin chief said that Ukraine could use this time to rearm. Official Moscow noted that this was the “signal” that was conveyed to the United States.
European leaders have also expressed doubts that Russia will comply with the ceasefire.
Earlier, White House National Security Advisor Mike Waltz said that the agreement between Ukraine and Russia could include a mechanism for the exchange of territories for security guarantees. At the same time, he said, Ukraine's membership in NATO is highly unlikely.
According to experts at the American Institute for the Study of War (ISW), Putin will not give up his attempt to occupy Ukraine after the ceasefire.
Earlier, The Independent learned what red lines Ukraine has for any peace agreement with Russia. In particular, the key issue is territories. You can read more about this in the RBC-Ukraine article.
On Sunday, US Presidential special envoy Witkoff said that a conversation between Donald Trump and Russia's Putin is expected to take place this week.
