US and Russian Leaders Hold Two-Hour Call... Trump Says "Russia and Ukraine to Immediately Begin Peace Talks"

Trump: "Great Call with Putin"
Putin Also Signals Readiness to Sign Peace Treaty Memorandum

U.S. President Donald Trump announced on the 19th (local time) that Ukraine and Russia would immediately begin ceasefire talks following his phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

President Trump stated on his self-created social networking service, Truth Social, that "I just finished a two-hour call with President Putin, and it went very well." He added, "Russia and Ukraine will immediately begin negotiations for a ceasefire, and more importantly, for an end to the war." He explained, "The terms for the ceasefire and the end of the war will be decided through negotiations between the two sides, who know things that no one else does."

He described the war in Ukraine as a "massacre and bloodbath," emphasizing that if a ceasefire is achieved, both sides would have significant opportunities in trade.

President Trump said, "Russia wants to engage in large-scale trade with the United States once this disastrous massacre and bloodbath ends, and I agree." He continued, "Russia has tremendous opportunities to create massive jobs and wealth, and its potential is limitless." He added, "Similarly, Ukraine will also be a major beneficiary in trade during its national reconstruction process."

Reuters Yonhap News

He revealed that after his call with President Putin, he informed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and the leaders of France, Italy, Germany, and Finland about the conversation. He also mentioned, "The Vatican has expressed great interest in hosting the negotiations on behalf of the Pope," suggesting the possibility that the peace talks could be mediated by the Holy See.

President Trump stated, "Now let's start the process," indicating that ceasefire negotiations would begin in earnest.

President Putin also announced on the same day that he was prepared to sign a memorandum with Ukraine, including on the issue of a ceasefire.

After his call with President Trump, President Putin told reporters, "We spoke for more than two hours. It was productive and candid. Overall, I think it was very useful." He also said that Russia is ready to continue working with Ukraine on a memorandum regarding a potential future peace treaty.

This call took place amid growing frustration from President Trump over President Putin's passive stance toward peace negotiations. Previously, President Trump had pledged during his transition period to broker a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine within 24 hours of taking office, and after returning to the White House, he has actively mediated ceasefire discussions between the two countries. However, as the ceasefire talks continued to stall, President Trump was recently reported to have expressed frustration in private. Attention is now focused on whether the ceasefire discussions regarding the war in Ukraine will make progress following this U.S.-Russia summit call.