President Donald Trump said Monday that ceasefire talks between Russia and Ukraine would begin "immediately", following what he described as a “two-and-a-half-hour” phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Speaking at a White House event, Trump revealed that the discussions had shown signs of progress and urged that the war—which he called a “terrible situation”—must end.
“We just spent two and a half hours talking to Vladimir Putin, and I think some progress has been made,” Trump said. “It is a terrible situation as 5,000 young people every single week are being killed… We also spoke to the heads of most of the European nations, and we are trying to get that whole thing wrapped up… What a shame it ever started in the first place.”
He added that the Vatican had offered to host the ceasefire negotiations, which follow a recent round of failed talks in Istanbul. While prisoner exchanges were agreed upon, no halt in the fighting emerged from that meeting.
He also said, "...My little conversation with a nice gentleman named Vladimir Putin. We had a good talk, and I think that progress is being made. 5,000 young soldiers are being killed every single week on average. And it's a number probably worse than that, in addition to other people that are being killed in towns. And we're trying to stop it. It's an absolute bloodbath. I've seen satellite pictures that are so bad, so horrible...We're doing the best we can. This was not our war. This was not me. We're doing something from the last administration. How did they allow that to happen? It wouldn't have happened..."
Also Read: Kremlin spokesman: No deadline can be set for Ukraine memorandum
Russia-Ukraine war talks begin, but details remain vague
Despite the announcement, no timeline or location has been confirmed for the upcoming discussions. Trump’s remarks come just days after Russia and Ukraine held their first direct talks since 2022. Those talks resulted in an agreement to exchange 1,000 prisoners from each side, but no ceasefire.
White House officials said Trump had grown increasingly “weary and frustrated” with both sides of the conflict. Vice President JD Vance noted that Trump had planned to test Putin’s sincerity during the call. “I’d say we’re more than open to walking away,” Vance said. “We want to see outcomes.”
Later, speaking from the Oval Office, Trump described the situation as complex. “Big egos involved,” he said. “But I think something’s going to happen and, if it doesn’t, I’d just back away and they have to keep going. This was a European situation. It should have remained a European situation.”
Russia-Ukraine Ceasefire: Putin signals readiness, Zelenskyy urges international pressure
The Kremlin confirmed that President Putin had spoken with Trump and was prepared to work with Ukraine on a “memorandum” for a potential peace treaty. Putin described the conversation as “very informative and very frank,” adding that both sides needed to “find compromises that would suit all parties.”
However, he also reiterated Russia’s unchanged position. “The main thing for us is to eliminate the root causes of this crisis,” Putin said.
In a social media post on X, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reaffirmed Ukraine’s readiness for “a full and unconditional ceasefire.” He called on the international community to apply stronger sanctions on Russia if it refuses to stop its invasion.
“At the beginning of our bilateral conversation, I reaffirmed to President Trump that Ukraine is ready for a full and unconditional ceasefire, as has been spoken about, particularly by the United States,” Zelenskyy wrote. “If the Russians are not ready to stop the killings, there must be stronger sanctions.”
Zelenskyy also said, “What’s needed is mirrored readiness from Russia for such result-oriented negotiations.”
Also Read: " Want to end war but not sure if Russia is ready": Ukrainian President Zelenskyy
Russia-Ukraine Ceasefire: European support and wider diplomatic efforts
Zelenskyy’s message followed a series of discussions with European leaders, including French President Emmanuel Macron, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Finnish President Alexander Stubb, and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. He stressed the importance of including both American and European representatives in the talks.
“Every proposal at the table deserves an honest evaluation; that’s why the negotiation process must involve both American and European representatives at the appropriate level,” he said. “It is crucial for all of us that the United States does not distance itself from the talks and the pursuit of peace, because the only one who benefits from that is Putin.”
Russia-Ukraine: Behind-the-scenes diplomacy and economic leverage
According to Russian presidential adviser Yuri Ushakov, the Trump-Putin conversation was friendly, with both addressing each other by first names. “Trump said, ‘Vladimir, you can pick up the phone at any time, and I will be happy to answer and speak with you,’” Ushakov said. He also noted that a future face-to-face meeting between the two leaders had been discussed, though no date was set.
Trump, for his part, dangled the prospect of economic incentives to push for peace. In a post on social media, he said, “Russia wants to do largescale TRADE with the United States when this catastrophic ‘bloodbath’ is over, and I agree.”
Trump’s treasury secretary, Scott Bessent, said Sunday that failure by Putin to negotiate “in good faith” could trigger more sanctions. He criticised existing measures for not fully restricting Russia’s oil revenues, arguing that they failed to reduce the Kremlin’s ability to fund the war.
A parallel agenda at the White House
Trump’s ceasefire announcement came during a White House event where he signed the ‘ Take It Down Act’ into law, aimed at curbing the spread of non-consensual intimate images online. First Lady Melania Trump, who championed the initiative through her ‘Be Best’ campaign, said the law would help create a safer environment for young people online.
“This legislation is a powerful step forward in our efforts to ensure that every American, especially young people, can feel better protected from their image or identity being abused through non-consensual, intimate imagery,” she said.
Trump added, “It’s my honour to officially sign the ‘Take It Down Act’ into law… We’re making it totally illegal.”
“We just spent two and a half hours talking to Vladimir Putin, and I think some progress has been made,” Trump said. “It is a terrible situation as 5,000 young people every single week are being killed… We also spoke to the heads of most of the European nations, and we are trying to get that whole thing wrapped up… What a shame it ever started in the first place.”
He added that the Vatican had offered to host the ceasefire negotiations, which follow a recent round of failed talks in Istanbul. While prisoner exchanges were agreed upon, no halt in the fighting emerged from that meeting.
He also said, "...My little conversation with a nice gentleman named Vladimir Putin. We had a good talk, and I think that progress is being made. 5,000 young soldiers are being killed every single week on average. And it's a number probably worse than that, in addition to other people that are being killed in towns. And we're trying to stop it. It's an absolute bloodbath. I've seen satellite pictures that are so bad, so horrible...We're doing the best we can. This was not our war. This was not me. We're doing something from the last administration. How did they allow that to happen? It wouldn't have happened..."
Also Read: Kremlin spokesman: No deadline can be set for Ukraine memorandum
Russia-Ukraine war talks begin, but details remain vague
Despite the announcement, no timeline or location has been confirmed for the upcoming discussions. Trump’s remarks come just days after Russia and Ukraine held their first direct talks since 2022. Those talks resulted in an agreement to exchange 1,000 prisoners from each side, but no ceasefire.
White House officials said Trump had grown increasingly “weary and frustrated” with both sides of the conflict. Vice President JD Vance noted that Trump had planned to test Putin’s sincerity during the call. “I’d say we’re more than open to walking away,” Vance said. “We want to see outcomes.”
Later, speaking from the Oval Office, Trump described the situation as complex. “Big egos involved,” he said. “But I think something’s going to happen and, if it doesn’t, I’d just back away and they have to keep going. This was a European situation. It should have remained a European situation.”
Russia-Ukraine Ceasefire: Putin signals readiness, Zelenskyy urges international pressure
The Kremlin confirmed that President Putin had spoken with Trump and was prepared to work with Ukraine on a “memorandum” for a potential peace treaty. Putin described the conversation as “very informative and very frank,” adding that both sides needed to “find compromises that would suit all parties.”
However, he also reiterated Russia’s unchanged position. “The main thing for us is to eliminate the root causes of this crisis,” Putin said.
In a social media post on X, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reaffirmed Ukraine’s readiness for “a full and unconditional ceasefire.” He called on the international community to apply stronger sanctions on Russia if it refuses to stop its invasion.
“At the beginning of our bilateral conversation, I reaffirmed to President Trump that Ukraine is ready for a full and unconditional ceasefire, as has been spoken about, particularly by the United States,” Zelenskyy wrote. “If the Russians are not ready to stop the killings, there must be stronger sanctions.”
Zelenskyy also said, “What’s needed is mirrored readiness from Russia for such result-oriented negotiations.”
Also Read: " Want to end war but not sure if Russia is ready": Ukrainian President Zelenskyy
Russia-Ukraine Ceasefire: European support and wider diplomatic efforts
Zelenskyy’s message followed a series of discussions with European leaders, including French President Emmanuel Macron, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Finnish President Alexander Stubb, and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. He stressed the importance of including both American and European representatives in the talks.
“Every proposal at the table deserves an honest evaluation; that’s why the negotiation process must involve both American and European representatives at the appropriate level,” he said. “It is crucial for all of us that the United States does not distance itself from the talks and the pursuit of peace, because the only one who benefits from that is Putin.”
Russia-Ukraine: Behind-the-scenes diplomacy and economic leverage
According to Russian presidential adviser Yuri Ushakov, the Trump-Putin conversation was friendly, with both addressing each other by first names. “Trump said, ‘Vladimir, you can pick up the phone at any time, and I will be happy to answer and speak with you,’” Ushakov said. He also noted that a future face-to-face meeting between the two leaders had been discussed, though no date was set.
Trump, for his part, dangled the prospect of economic incentives to push for peace. In a post on social media, he said, “Russia wants to do largescale TRADE with the United States when this catastrophic ‘bloodbath’ is over, and I agree.”
Trump’s treasury secretary, Scott Bessent, said Sunday that failure by Putin to negotiate “in good faith” could trigger more sanctions. He criticised existing measures for not fully restricting Russia’s oil revenues, arguing that they failed to reduce the Kremlin’s ability to fund the war.
A parallel agenda at the White House
Trump’s ceasefire announcement came during a White House event where he signed the ‘ Take It Down Act’ into law, aimed at curbing the spread of non-consensual intimate images online. First Lady Melania Trump, who championed the initiative through her ‘Be Best’ campaign, said the law would help create a safer environment for young people online.
“This legislation is a powerful step forward in our efforts to ensure that every American, especially young people, can feel better protected from their image or identity being abused through non-consensual, intimate imagery,” she said.
Trump added, “It’s my honour to officially sign the ‘Take It Down Act’ into law… We’re making it totally illegal.”
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