Egypt Daily News – U.S. President Donald Trump said he plans to speak with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, on Tuesday to discuss ending the war in Ukraine following “positive talks” between American and Russian officials in Moscow.
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One during his return trip to Washington from Florida, Trump stated, “I will speak with President Putin on Tuesday. A lot of work has been done over the weekend.”
He added, “We want to see if we can end this war. Maybe we can, maybe we can’t, but I believe we have a very good chance.”
Trump is seeking Putin’s support for a 30-day ceasefire proposal, which Ukraine accepted last week.
Meanwhile, Russia and Ukraine continued their intense aerial strikes over the weekend. Russia has moved closer to expelling Ukrainian forces from the area it has controlled for months in Kursk, western Russia.
When asked about the concessions being considered in the ceasefire negotiations, Trump said, “We will talk about land. We will talk about power stations.”
He continued, “I believe many of these issues have already been discussed extensively between both sides, Ukraine and Russia. We are already talking about dividing some assets.”
Trump stated that significant efforts were made on this matter over the weekend, which he spent in Florida, where he resides. He returned to Joint Base Andrews, on the outskirts of Washington, in the early hours of Monday before heading back to the White House.
Trump believes that dealing with Ukraine is “much more difficult” than dealing with Russia. He had a tense meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky last month, which ended with Zelensky leaving the White House before the talks were concluded.
However, Ukraine’s acceptance of the proposed ceasefire has now placed the responsibility on Russia to respond to Trump’s demands.
White House envoy Steve Witkoff described his meeting with Putin as “positive” and “solution-oriented” during an interview with CNN on Sunday.
He stated, “Both sides are much closer today than they were a few weeks ago. We have narrowed the differences,” emphasizing that Putin accepts “Trump’s philosophy” for ending the war with Ukraine.
Witkoff explained that Trump is personally involved in the diplomatic efforts, receiving a direct briefing from the U.S. embassy in Moscow after his meeting with Putin. The president also held a meeting with his senior advisors on Saturday regarding the issue.
The U.S. envoy expressed hope for achieving a ceasefire “within weeks.”
