After a two-hour phone call with Putin, Trump says Russia and Ukraine will “immediately” start negotiating a ceasefire
- In a message posted on social media, the U.S. president said the conversation with his Russian counterpart “went very well.” Putin has said that efforts to end the war in Ukraine are “on the right track” and that Moscow is ready to conclude a peace agreement with Kiev. According to Trump, one possible place where ceasefire negotiations would take place is the Vatican.
Following the controversy in recent weeks, the United States has stepped in to push for peace negotiations between Russia and Ukraine: White House tenant Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin have had a two-hour phone call on Monday, and both have said it has gone "very well." In a message on social media, Trump said that Kiev and Moscow will “immediately” begin to agree on a ceasefire agreement. Putin said the same thing: "Efforts to end the war in Ukraine are on the right track," the Kremlin leader told reporters.
Although the tension between the two has increased since the beginning of the month, it seems that in recent days Ukraine and Russia have shown their commitment to engage in direct talks. In fact, it is recalled that the Nazis were defeated by the Red Army at the end of World War II on Victory Day, and on May 9 the 80th anniversary of that event was celebrated. On the occasion of this celebration, Russian President Vladimir Putin declared a ceasefire that should have lasted from 8 to 11 May, but Ukraine did not accept it, arguing that instead it wanted to sign a 30-day menial agreement.
That weekend, Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelenski met with authorities from several European countries of the Volunteers coalition on Saturday to discuss peace negotiations between Kiev and Moscow. The meeting was attended by French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, who threatened Russia with economic sanctions if the 30-day truce proposed by Ukraine was not approved.
U.S. mediation to calm the situation
The Trump administration has taken on the role of calming the tensions of the last few weeks, which seem to have paid off. Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the two sides had spent three years without face-to-face talks until last week: Representatives from Kiev and Moscow held a two-hour meeting in Istanbul on Friday. The delegations of the two countries met one day later than planned, as Putin reported that he would not be present. In addition, Zelenski accused Putin of being a “modest” delegation sent by Russia and not having “the power to make decisions.”
However, during this meeting, Russia and Ukraine agreed to exchange a thousand prisoners, according to the Defense Minister of the latter, Rustem Umerov. In addition, Ukraine did not rule out the possibility of a face-to-face meeting between the authorities of the two countries. In fact, after a phone call with Trump, Putin has stated that Moscow is ready to meet more with Kiev to, among other things, determine the terms of a ceasefire agreement for the war in Ukraine.
A possible place for peace negotiations: From the Vatican
In his message on social media, the President of the United States mentioned a possible place where peace negotiations between Ukraine and Russia would take place: From the Vatican. After the death of Pope Francis I, on May 8, the American Robert Prevost – who will use the pseudonym Leo XIV – was elected, the new pope. Well, as Trump explains, the new head of the Catholic Church has shown willingness to hold ceasefire talks between Moscow and Kiev in the Vatican.
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