Trump announces Ceasefire talks between Russia and Ukraine after call with Putin

President Donald Trump shared that Russia and Ukraine will begin talks toward a ceasefire after a two-hour phone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Trump, in a post on Truth Social, said that the talks would aim to “end the war,” adding that the details of the ceasefire would be negotiated directly between the two countries, according to CNN. “The conditions for that will be negotiated between the two parties, as it can only be, because they know details of a negotiation that nobody else would be aware of,” Trump explained. He also mentioned that the "tone and spirit" of his

President Donald Trump shared that Russia and Ukraine will begin talks toward a ceasefire after a two-hour phone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Trump, in a post on Truth Social, said that the talks would aim to “end the war,” adding that the details of the ceasefire would be negotiated directly between the two countries, according to CNN. “The conditions for that will be negotiated between the two parties, as it can only be, because they know details of a negotiation that nobody else would be aware of,” Trump explained. He also mentioned that the "tone and spirit" of his conversation with Putin were "excellent." Trump highlighted that Russia is interested in establishing large-scale trade with the United States once the conflict is over. He said, “Russia wants to do large-scale trade with the United States when this catastrophic ‘bloodbath’ is over, and I agree. There is a tremendous opportunity for Russia to create massive amounts of jobs and wealth. Its potential is UNLIMITED.” He also stated that Ukraine could benefit greatly from future trade as well. “Ukraine can be a great beneficiary on trade,” he noted. Trump mentioned that he had informed several world leaders about the outcome of his call with Putin, including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, French President Emmanuel Macron, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, and Finnish President Alexander Stubb. Additionally, Trump said that the Vatican, through Pope Francis, expressed interest in hosting peace negotiations. “The Vatican, as represented by the Pope, has stated that it would be very interested in hosting the negotiations. Let the process begin!” Trump added. This phone call marks the third time Trump and Putin have spoken since Trump’s time in office. Trump has been outspoken about his frustration with Putin’s reluctance to engage in peace talks with Ukraine. Last week, Trump told reporters he believes he is the key to advancing the stalled peace negotiations, suggesting that Putin did not attend peace talks in Turkey because Trump was not present. When asked if he still thought Putin was “tapping (him) along” on the peace process, Trump responded, “I’ll let you know in a week, I’ll let you know in a few days.” In the lead-up to this call, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt commented that Trump had become increasingly frustrated with both sides of the conflict. She said his goal is to see “a ceasefire and to see this conflict come to an end.”