US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin began phone talks on Tuesday, with Washington hoping to persuade Moscow to accept a ceasefire in the ongoing Ukraine war. The high-stakes discussion comes as efforts intensify to bring an end to the devastating three-year conflict that has claimed hundreds of thousands of lives, displaced millions, and reduced towns to rubble.
A White House official confirmed the call commenced at 1400 GMT, with White House deputy chief of staff Dan Scavino stating on social media platform X that the discussion was “going well and still in progress.” The United States has proposed a 30-day ceasefire, which Ukraine has agreed to. However, Putin indicated last week that while he supports the truce in principle, several conditions must be met before Russian forces halt operations.
Trump has expressed determination to persuade Putin to accept the ceasefire and advance a longer-term peace plan. Hints suggest the agreement could involve territorial concessions by Kyiv and Russia’s continued control of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. In a social media post on Monday, Trump stressed the urgency of ending the bloodshed, stating, “Each week brings 2,500 soldier deaths from both sides, and it must end NOW.”
The Kremlin, ahead of the talks, noted that the leaders would discuss the conflict in Ukraine and the normalization of Russia-U.S. relations. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov suggested a “certain understanding” had emerged from previous calls and diplomatic exchanges. However, numerous unresolved issues remain, which the two presidents aimed to address in their conversation.
While Trump seeks a breakthrough, the call has raised concerns among traditional U.S. allies. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has remained steadfast in asserting Ukraine’s sovereignty. He has made it clear that Russia must return all occupied territories, including Crimea, which Moscow annexed in 2014. Zelenskiy warned that allowing Russia to retain control over seized regions would embolden further aggression.
“The sovereignty of Ukraine is not negotiable,” Zelenskiy emphasized. He believes Putin’s ambitions will not end with Ukraine, underscoring the importance of maintaining territorial integrity. Russia currently controls approximately one-fifth of Ukraine’s territory, having launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022.
Putin has maintained that the invasion was a necessary defensive measure against NATO’s eastward expansion. He has called for Ukraine to abandon its ambitions of NATO membership, ease Western sanctions on Russia, and hold a presidential election. Zelenskiy, who has been in office since 2019, has delayed elections under martial law due to the war.