U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin called a crucial call Tuesday as the U.S. government tried to push for a 30-day ceasefire in Ukraine, according to the Associated Press. The proposal was initially accepted by Ukrainian officials in Saudi Arabia talks led by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and was seen as a potential first step to end the war.
However, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy remains suspicious, accusing Putin of paying only “verbal services” to peace, while Russian forces continue to attack Ukraine.
The White House expressed optimism ahead of the discussion, highlighting Trump’s commitment to a quick resolution of the conflict. “This is a bad situation in Russia, a bad situation in Ukraine,” Trump told reporters on Monday. “What’s going on in Ukraine is not good, but we’ll see if we can reach a peace agreement, a ceasefire and peace. I think we’ll be able to do that.”
In preparation for the phone call, the White House Special Envoy Steve Witkoff met with Putin in Moscow last week to discuss the framework. Secretary of State Rubio earlier convinced senior Ukrainian officials in Saudi Arabia to accept the ceasefire agreement. Trump confirmed that as part of the negotiations, Washington and Moscow have begun discussions about the “allocation of certain assets” between Ukraine and Russia.
Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov said earlier that leaders discussed the Ukrainian war and wider U.S.-Russia relations. The conversation took place on the anniversary of Russia’s annexation of Crimea, an event that laid the foundation for the 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
