US President Donald Trump says Russia and Ukraine will “immediately” start negotiating towards a ceasefire and an end to the war, after a two-hour phone call with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin.
After his one-on-one call with Trump, Zelensky reaffirmed Ukraine’s desire for a “full and unconditional ceasefire”, and warned if Moscow is not ready, “there must be stronger sanctions”.
“I want to thank President Trump for his tireless efforts to bring a ceasefire to Ukraine,” von der Leyen said, adding: “It’s important that the US stays engaged.”
The strike on the bus happened just hours after Russia and Ukraine held their first face-to-face talks in more than three years.
Russia and Ukraine have been at war since Moscow launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
After speaking with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin over the phone for two hours, US President Donald Trump declared that Russia and Ukraine would “immediately” begin negotiating a ceasefire and an end to the conflict.
“Very well” was how Trump described the conversation, but he also stated that the two parties would need to negotiate terms for peace.
Trump, who also spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, expressed optimism, but a ceasefire or peace agreement does not seem imminent.
Putin stated that he was prepared to collaborate with Ukraine on a “memorandum on a possible future peace agreement,” but Zelensky argued that “this is a defining moment” and urged the United States to stay involved in the negotiations.
The Russian president made no mention of the US and European countries’ demands for an unconditional 30-day ceasefire in his remarks.
Following his private conversation with Trump, Zelensky reiterated Ukraine’s demand for a “complete and unconditional ceasefire” and issued a warning that “there must be stronger sanctions” if Moscow is not prepared.
Zelensky told reporters prior to Trump’s meeting with Putin that he had requested that decisions regarding Ukraine be made with his nation’s input, referring to them as “matters of principles” for Ukraine.
He added that he was unsure of specifics regarding a “memorandum,” but that they would “be able to formulate their vision accordingly” after they received any information from the Russians.
“Russia and Ukraine will immediately start negotiations toward a Ceasefire and, more importantly, an END to the War,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social page following the call. He added that he had informed Zelensky of this in a second call that also included other world leaders.
Additionally, he stated: “The terms of that will be negotiated between the two parties, as it is only possible for them to know specifics of a negotiation that no one else would know.”. “,”.
Negotiations “must involve both American and European representatives at the appropriate level,” according to Zelensky.
He clarified that “the United States should not distance itself from the talks and the pursuit of peace, because that only serves Putin’s interests,” which is important for all of us.
The United States will continue to mediate talks between Russia and Ukraine, Trump stated at a White House event later that day. However, he has a “red line in his head” for when he will stop pressuring both countries.
Additionally, he denied that the United States was withdrawing from its role in negotiations.
Trump has been increasingly frustrated with the lack of progress on peace from both Kyiv and Moscow in recent weeks, and he has warned on multiple occasions that the US would withdraw from negotiations.
When questioned about his views on Russia, he stated that he believes Putin has had enough of the conflict and wants it to end.
In the meantime, Putin mentioned the possibility of a ceasefire and characterized the conversation with Trump, which he had with Trump while visiting the city of Sochi, as “frank, informative, and constructive.”.
“The US president and I have reached an agreement that Russia is willing to work with Ukraine on a memorandum on a potential future peace agreement,” he stated.
He went on to say that this would include “a number of positions” such as “principles of the settlement and a timeline for concluding a possible peace agreement.”. including, if appropriate agreements are made, a potential ceasefire for a specific amount of time.
According to Yury Ushakov, a Russian presidential aide, a ceasefire timeline was not “discussed.”. Despite this, Trump naturally emphasizes his desire to come to an agreement immediately.
Following Trump’s conversation with Putin, Zelensky had a second phone conversation with the US president, along with the heads of Finland, France, Italy, and Germany, as well as Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission.
“I want to thank President Trump for his tireless efforts to bring a ceasefire to Ukraine,” von der Leyen said, adding that the United States must continue to be involved. “,”.
Pope Leo’s offer to host possible peace talks was “judged positively” by the US and the other leaders in the call, according to Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
After Putin rejected Zelensky’s proposal to meet in person for peace talks in Turkey earlier this month, the new Pope proposed the Vatican as a potential location.
According to Kyiv, Putin’s declarations that he wants peace are untrue.
Top Ukrainian presidential aide Andriy Yermak declared, “Putin wants war,” following Russia’s Sunday launch of what Ukraine claimed was its largest drone strike since the full-scale invasion started.
In recent days, Russian strikes have killed at least ten people, according to Ukraine, including nine people who were killed in an attack on a civilian minibus in northeastern Ukraine. In addition, Russia claims to have intercepted Ukrainian drones.
The bus strike occurred hours after Russia and Ukraine had their first in-person meeting in over three years. A ceasefire was not promised, but a prisoner swap was agreed upon.
Trump had asked Putin to join him at the talks in Turkey, but the Russian president refused to go.
Although both sides reported a lull in fighting, the Kremlin announced a similar 30-hour truce over Easter, accusing one another of hundreds of violations.
Since Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Russia and Ukraine have been at war.
