Trump-Putin call: First details

Putin makes first statements after talks with Trump

Putin has made his first statements following a conversation with Donald Trump. The Russian President said the discussion was "substantive and useful."

"Russia supports the cessation of hostilities, but it is necessary to develop the most effective paths toward peace," Putin stated.

According to him, Trump shared his position on ending the fighting in Ukraine during the conversation. Putin also claimed that "Russia is ready to work on a memorandum with Ukraine, which includes a ceasefire."

Other statements by Putin:

• Trump expressed his position on a ceasefire during the conversation.

• A ceasefire with Ukraine is possible after relevant agreements are reached.

• The memorandum between Russia and Ukraine could include ceasefire terms and principles of settlement.

• A ceasefire is possible once appropriate agreements are reached.

• Russia and Ukraine must find compromises acceptable to both sides.

The conversation between Trump and Putin lasted about two hours. As of 7:30 p.m. Kyiv time, the White House had not issued an official comment on their talks.

What the outlet reports

According to Reuters, Trump began his conversation with Putin at around 5:40 p.m. Kyiv time. They likely discussed peace in Ukraine.

Several media outlets reported that, before calling Putin, Trump had a phone conversation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Trump’s statements

Trump also spoke about his conversation with Putin. According to him, the Russian Federation and Ukraine must immediately begin negotiations on a ceasefire and ending the war.

"Russia and Ukraine will immediately start negotiations toward a ceasefire and, more importantly, an end to the war. 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," Trump wrote.

He also said that his conversation with Putin was great and that Russia wants to engage in large-scale trade with the US after "this catastrophic bloodbath is over, and I agree."

Other statements from the Kremlin

Putin’s aide Yury Ushakov revealed additional details about the Russian leader’s conversation with Trump. Notably, it was their third phone call since Trump took office as US president and lasted 2 hours and 5 minutes.

According to Ushakov, Trump and Putin discussed the Ukraine issue in great detail, including "some interesting nuances."

During the conversation, Putin and Trump addressed each other by first name and talked about another prisoner exchange between Russia and the US — reportedly 9 for 9 individuals. They also discussed bilateral relations between the two countries and expressed a mutual desire for normalization.

Ushakov noted that neither Putin nor Trump wanted to end the call or hang up the phone.

Negotiations in Istanbul

Last Friday in Istanbul, another round of talks between Ukraine and Russia took place, initiated by the Russian President Vladimir Putin in response to a joint call from Kyiv, the EU, and the US to establish a 30-day comprehensive ceasefire.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy publicly expressed his willingness to speak with Putin in person, but Moscow sent a lower-level delegation, effectively ignoring the offer of a direct meeting.

The negotiations lasted about an hour and ended almost without results. The Russian side demanded that Ukraine recognize the annexation of Crimea and four occupied regions, establish a neutral status for the country, renounce reparations, and provide "European" guarantees for the rights of the Russian-speaking population. The only tangible outcome of the meeting was an agreement to exchange prisoners of war on a 1000 for 1000 basis.

Before the talks, Trump stated he might also visit Istanbul. However, he later changed his mind and said it would happen once such a meeting could be organized.

Announcement of calls with Putin and Zelenskyy

Recently, Trump posted on social media that he would call the Russian President, Vladimir Putin. He plans to discuss the war in Ukraine and a number of other issues.

Later, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov confirmed that the phone call is being arranged. Today, he specified that the conversation between Trump and Putin will take place at 5:00 PM Kyiv time.

At the same time, Trump also announced a call with Volodymyr Zelenskyy.