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President Trump said after a two-hour phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday that Moscow and Kyiv would immediately start ceasefire talks.
Mr. Trump said his chat with Mr. Putin “went very well” and peace talks may be held at the Vatican.
Mr. Putin said Moscow was ready to begin work on a “memorandum on a potential future peace treaty” with Ukraine, though he offered little detail on whether he would be willing to move away from previous demands, including that Russia retain permanent control of captured Ukrainian territory or that Ukraine never be allowed to join NATO.
Mr. Trump also spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. He said it would be up to Russia and Ukraine to hammer out the specifics of how to proceed.
“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,” he said on social media. “The tone and spirit of the conversation were excellent.”
The president said he would have shared “now, rather than later” had the call gone poorly.
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Mr. Putin told reporters the conversation was “very informative and very frank.”
“At the same time, I would like to note that, in general, Russia’s position is clear. The main thing for us is to eliminate the root causes of this crisis,” Mr. Putin said.
Mr. Zelenskyy said it was “a defining moment.”
“The world can now see whether its leaders are truly capable of securing a ceasefire and achieving real, lasting peace,” he said on social media.
He said he “reaffirmed to President Trump that Ukraine is ready for a full and unconditional ceasefire” and is prepared for talks with Russia.
“It is important not to dilute this proposal. If the Russians are not ready to stop the killings, there must be stronger sanctions,” he said. “Pressure on Russia will push it toward real peace — this is obvious to everyone around the world.”
Mr. Zelenskyy said he discussed possible steps with European leaders. He said the process must involve officials from Europe and America and that it was crucial for the U.S. to stay involved.
“If Russia refuses to stop the killings, refuses to release prisoners of war and hostages, if Putin puts forward unrealistic demands, this will mean that Russia continues to drag out the war, and deserves that Europe, America, and the world act accordingly, including with further sanctions,” he said. “Russia must end the war it started, and it can begin doing so any day. Ukraine has always been ready for peace.”
When Russia invaded in February 2022, Mr. Putin claimed Ukraine was run by neo-Nazis who were committing genocide against the Russian minority in the Donbas region in eastern Ukraine.
In the years since, Mr. Putin has often said that Russia also wants peace, but Moscow’s demands have been unacceptable to Ukraine.
The Trump administration has said Mr. Putin’s government is asking for too much.
Russia has repeatedly ramped up military aggression at delicate geopolitical moments, including over the weekend, when it launched its largest drone attack on Ukraine since the war began.
That attack was launched late Saturday and early Sunday, just hours after Mr. Trump announced his plans to speak with Mr. Putin.
Russian forces launched 273 drones or decoys, Ukrainian military officials said, and targeted the Kyiv, Dnipropetrovsk and Donetsk regions. One woman was killed, Ukrainian authorities said, and another three people, including a 4-year-old, were wounded.
Ukraine’s military intelligence agency said Sunday on Telegram that Russia plans a “training and combat launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile” this week. That would mark a significant escalation by Moscow.
A key question after the phone call is whether higher-level Russian officials, including Mr. Putin, would attend the next round of peace talks.
Mr. Putin skipped a Russia-Ukraine meeting last week in Istanbul despite Mr. Zelenskyy’s and Mr. Trump’s willingness to attend.
Mr. Trump spoke about improving U.S.-Russia relations, which he said was a goal Mr. Putin shared. He said the Russian leader wants to facilitate large-scale trade with the U.S. after the war ends.
“There is a tremendous opportunity for Russia to create massive amounts of jobs and wealth. Its potential is UNLIMITED,” Mr. Trump said. “Likewise, Ukraine can be a great beneficiary on Trade, in the process of rebuilding its Country.”
After his call with Mr. Putin, Mr. Trump spoke with Mr. Zelenskyy, European Union President Ursula von der Leyen, French President Emmanuel Macron, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Finnish President Alexander Stubb.
Mr. Trump said he told Mr. Zelenskyy that the peace negotiations must start immediately.
He said the Vatican had indicated it would be “very interested” in hosting negotiations between Russia and Ukraine.
Ms. von der Leyen thanked Mr. Trump for “his tireless efforts to bring a ceasefire to Ukraine.”
“It’s important that the U.S. stays engaged,” she said.
Later Monday, Mr. Trump told reporters in the Oval Office that Pope Leo XIV’s involvement would add significance to the negotiations rather than indicate that the U.S. is taking a step back.
“I think it would be, maybe, helpful. There’s tremendous bitterness, anger, and I think maybe that could help some of that anger,” he said.
If the talks don’t come to fruition, he said, “I just back away and they’re going to have to keep going.”
Mr. Trump said he wouldn’t have become involved if he thought Mr. Putin didn’t want peace. He said he has a red line where he would walk away.
“This is not my war. … We got ourselves entangled in something that we shouldn’t have been involved in and we would’ve been a lot better off, and maybe the whole thing would’ve been a lot better off, because it can’t be much worse,” he said.
Mr. Zelenskyy met with Vice President J.D. Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and other U.S. officials in Rome on Sunday. After that, he said in a social media post, “Pressure is needed against Russia until they are eager to stop the war.”
If the administration applies more pressure on Moscow, the most likely options are economic sanctions or secondary tariffs on Russia’s oil industry, the lifeblood of its economy.
• Mallory Wilson can be reached at mwilson@washingtontimes.com.
• Ben Wolfgang can be reached at bwolfgang@washingtontimes.com.
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