President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin at a meeting in Helsinki, Finland, on July 16, 2018. Credit – Brendan Smialowski—Getty Images
Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin spoke for two hours on Monday in what the U.S. President described as an “excellent” conversation, announcing that Russia and Ukraine would immediately begin negotiations toward a ceasefire.
The call followed Trump’s recent public appeal to Putin to “stop the bloodbath” and end what he described as a violent and devastating conflict.
Shortly after speaking with the Russian President, Trump said he had informed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, as well as several European leaders and Pope Leo, of the planned talks. He also noted that the Vatican had expressed interest in hosting future negotiations.
“The tone and spirit of the conversation were excellent,” Mr Trump wrote on social media. “Russia and Ukraine will immediately start negotiations toward a ceasefire and, more importantly, an end to the war.”
Following the call, Russian state media reported that the Russian President expressed openness to a ceasefire.
“Russia is ready to work with Kyiv on a memorandum on future peace talks. A ceasefire with Ukraine is possible once agreements are reached,” TASS quoted Putin as saying.
Putin also described the conversation with Trump as “very informative and quite a frank discussion.” He added, “The U.S. president voiced his position on a ceasefire. For my part, I noted that Russia, too, favors a peaceful settlement of the Ukrainian crisis. We must determine the most effective ways of moving towards peace.”
Putting the end to the war in Ukraine has been a core aspect of Trump’s presidency so far. The President signed a deal on May 1 in which Ukraine would hand over half of its future oil, gas, and minerals wealth to the U.S. in return for American investment and economic assistance.
Ahead of the calls this morning, Vice President J.D. Vance told reporters: “I think the president is going to say to President Putin, look, ‘Are you serious? Are you real about this?'”
Vance added that the U.S. is “more than open to walking away” from ongoing peace talks. “We want to see outcomes,” he added.
Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said that Trump “has grown weary and frustrated with both sides of the conflict,” and will be pushing for an end to the ongoing war.
When asked if Trump would be meeting with Putin in the near future, Leavitt responded: “The president would certainly be open to that.”
Overnight on Saturday, leading into Sunday morning, Ukrainian officials reported that Russia had launched its most intense drone attack against Ukraine since the start of the full-scale invasion in 2022.
What happened at the Russia and Ukraine peace talks in Turkey?
Trump’s announcement of the planned call came after officials from Russia and Ukraine met in Istanbul, Turkey, on Friday to hold direct talks about the pursuit of peace. Notably, neither Zelensky or Putin were present at the summit.
After much speculation as to whether the two leaders would engage in a face-to-face meeting—something Zelensky advocated for, on the condition that a cease-fire would be agreed to prior—the two did not meet. Putin rejected Zelensky’s offer for an in-person sit-down, and did not accompany the Russian delegation to Turkey. Meanwhile, Zelensky travelled to the Turkish capital of Ankara, where he met with the country’s President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
In a sign of progress, the meeting of the Russian and Ukrainian delegates did result in an agreement to carry out the largest prisoner swap of the war, with each country committing to exchange 1,000 prisoners of war.
After the meeting, Ukraine’s Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, who led the country’s delegation, told reporters that the two countries had also discussed the possibility of a cease-fire and a meeting between their respective Presidents.
Europe and the U.S. have previously proposed a 30-day cease-fire, which Ukraine has accepted. But Putin has refused to accept the proposal unless a list of his demands are met.
Read More: How Putin Missed His Shot at Peace
A call between Trump and Putin has been on the cards. The U.S. President told reporters on Air Force One on Thursday: “Nothing is going to happen until Putin and I get together.”
On Friday, the Kremlin echoed these comments, saying that communication between Trump and Putin is “extremely important” for settling the conflict.
“Contacts between President Putin and Trump are extremely important in the context of the Ukrainian settlement,” Russian press secretary Dmitry Peskov is quoted as telling Russian press. “Of course, we agree with this thesis. This significance is difficult to overestimate.”
Though Trump had promised a new era of Russia-Ukraine relations under his second term in the White House, his first 100 days saw things get off to a rocky start, with tensions peaking between Trump and Zelensky. The two shared a heated exchange in the Oval Office in February.
The two appear to have since mended their relationship, and shared a brief, but significant, in-person sit-down—their first since the Oval Office clash—ahead of Pope Francis’ funeral at St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican on April 26.
Of the sit-down, Zelensky said it was a “very symbolic meeting that has [the] potential to become historic.”
“We discussed a lot one-on-one. Hoping for results on everything we covered. Protecting lives of our people. Full and unconditional cease-fire. Reliable and lasting peace that will prevent another war from breaking out,” he said.
After the meeting, Trump called out Putin via social media, expressing doubt that the Russian leader wants to end the war in Ukraine, and hinting at sanctions against Russia.
Read More: Trump Publicly Calls Out Putin After Meeting With Zelensky at Pope Francis’ Funeral
Still, Trump has maintained that he can broker a peace deal between the two countries.
Rubio visited Istanbul earlier this week so that U.S. officials could host their own separate talks with Ukrainian and Turkish delegates. He had a phone call with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Saturday, per the State Department.
“The comprehensive peace plan proposed by the United States outlines the best way forward,” the State Department said. “The Secretary emphasized President Trump’s call for an immediate cease-fire and an end to the violence.”
Write to Olivia-Anne Cleary at olivia-anne.cleary@time.com.
