Egypt Daily News – Russian President Vladimir Putin announced on Monday the conclusion of his phone call with U.S. President Donald Trump, which lasted more than two hours. Putin described the conversation with Trump as meaningful, frank, and very useful, expressing his gratitude to Trump for the United States’ involvement in reviving direct talks between Russia and Ukraine.
Putin said, “Russia supports halting hostilities, but it is necessary to develop the most effective paths toward peace,” noting that Trump expressed his position on ending the fighting in Ukraine during the call.
The Russian president explained that a ceasefire in Ukraine for a certain period is possible if the relevant agreements are reached, stressing the need to find compromises acceptable to all parties.
He stated, “We agreed with the President of the United States that Russia will propose and is ready to work with the Ukrainian side on a memorandum regarding a potential future peace treaty. This includes defining several positions such as the principles of the settlement, the timeline for a possible peace agreement, and so on — including a possible temporary ceasefire if the relevant agreements are reached.”
Putin also commented on the resumption of negotiations with Ukraine, saying: “By the way, communication has resumed between participants of the Istanbul meeting and negotiations, which gives reason to believe that, overall, we are on the right track.” He emphasized that “Russia’s position on the situation in Ukraine is clear, and the main issue is to eliminate the root causes of the crisis.”
Earlier today, U.S. media outlets reported, citing the White House, that the phone call between President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin had just begun.
On Saturday, Trump had announced that he planned to speak with his Russian counterpart on Monday to discuss resolving the conflict in Ukraine.
Trump also stated that he would follow up with a call to Volodymyr Zelensky and the leaders of NATO countries, expressing hope that a ceasefire agreement could be reached following his discussions with both Putin and Zelensky.
