Russia, Ukraine to Begin Ceasefire Talks : Trump After 2 Hour Call With Putin

In a significant development, US President Donald Trump announced that Russia and Ukraine would immediate talks toward a ceasefire. The announcement came after a two-hour phone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday.

Speaking to reporters, Trump said, “We’re trying to stop it. It’s an absolute bloodbath.” He noted that an estimated 5,000 soldiers are dying every week, along with numerous civilian casualties. “This was not our war. This was not me,” he added, blaming the previous administration for the ongoing conflict.

On his social media platform, Truth Social, Trump wrote, “Just completed my two-hour call with President Vladimir Putin of Russia. I believe it went very well. Russia and Ukraine will immediately start negotiations towards a ceasefire and, more importantly, an END to the War.”

He added that he had briefed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and several European leaders — including Ursula von der Leyen, Emmanuel Macron, Giorgia Meloni, Friedrich Merz, and Alexander Stubb — in a follow-up call. The Vatican, he said, had also expressed interest in hosting the talks.

In response, Putin confirmed that Russia is open to peace negotiations, stating that efforts were “generally on the right track.” Speaking in Sochi, Putin said, “We have agreed with the President of the United States that Russia will propose and is ready to work with the Ukrainian side on a memorandum on a possible future peace accord.”

However, the Kremlin emphasized that finalizing any deal would require time and careful deliberation. Putin added that the priority was to address the “root causes” of the war.

Ukrainian President Zelenskyy welcomed the development cautiously. He confirmed that Kyiv and its allies were discussing a high-level peace summit, possibly to be hosted by Turkey, Switzerland, or the Vatican. Whether this would coincide with the negotiations Trump announced remains unclear.

Trump also hinted at broader diplomatic goals, claiming that Russia is eager to resume large-scale trade with the US once the conflict ends. He called Russia’s potential “unlimited” and noted that both Moscow and Kyiv could benefit economically during the reconstruction phase.

The Russia-Ukraine conflict, which began with Moscow’s invasion in February 2022, has resulted in hundreds of thousands of casualties and widespread destruction across Ukraine. Multiple previous attempts at brokering peace — including efforts by European and Turkish diplomats — have stalled.