US President Donald Trump has announced his intention to speak with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday to address the possibility of ending the war in Ukraine, following positive discussions between US and Russian officials in Moscow.
“We aim to see if we can bring that war to a conclusion,” Mr. Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One during his return flight to Washington from Florida. “Perhaps we can, perhaps we can’t, but I believe we stand a very good chance.”
“I will be communicating with President Putin on Tuesday. Significant work has been accomplished over the weekend.”
Mr. Trump is seeking Mr. Putin’s backing for a 30-day ceasefire proposal that Ukraine agreed to the previous week, as both sides continued to exchange heavy aerial strikes throughout the weekend, with Russia closing in on dislodging Ukrainian forces from their long-held position in the western Russian region of Kursk.
When inquired about potential concessions being discussed in ceasefire negotiations, Mr. Trump remarked: “We will discuss land. We will discuss power plants… We are already addressing that, dividing up specific assets.”
Although Mr. Trump did not provide further details, he likely referenced the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia facility in Ukraine, which is Europe’s largest nuclear power plant. Both Russia and Ukraine have accused one another of endangering the plant’s safety due to their actions.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed that Mr. Putin would communicate with Mr. Trump via phone but refrained from commenting on Mr. Trump’s statements regarding land and power plants.
On Friday, the Kremlin revealed that Mr. Putin had sent Mr. Trump a message about his ceasefire plan through US envoy Steve Witkoff, who had discussions in Moscow, expressing “cautious optimism” that a deal could be reached to resolve the three-year conflict.
In separate appearances on Sunday television programs in the United States, Mr. Witkoff, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Mr. Trump’s National Security Adviser, Mike Waltz, underscored that numerous challenges remain before Russia would agree to a ceasefire, let alone a final peaceful resolution to the war.
When asked on ABC if the US would accept a peace agreement that permitted Russia to retain the Ukrainian territories it has captured, Mr. Waltz responded: “We must consider, is it in our national interest? Is it realistic?… Are we going to force every Russian off every inch of Ukrainian soil?”
“We can discuss what is right or wrong, but we must also acknowledge the reality on the ground,” he added, noting that the alternative to reaching compromises on land and other matters could lead to “endless warfare” and potentially World War Three.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky stated on Friday that he perceived a good opportunity to end the Russian war after Kyiv accepted the US proposal for a 30-day interim ceasefire.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke with his Russian counterpart
Nevertheless, Mr. Zelensky has consistently emphasized that his nation’s sovereignty is non-negotiable and that Russia must relinquish the territory it has taken. Russia annexed the Crimean peninsula in 2014 and currently controls a significant portion of four eastern Ukrainian regions following its invasion in 2022.
Mr. Zelensky has yet to publicly respond to Mr. Waltz’s comments.
Russia is seeking “ironclad” assurances in any peace agreement that NATO nations will exclude Kyiv from membership and that Ukraine will remain neutral, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko told the Russian media outlet Izvestia, making no reference to the ceasefire proposal in his remarks.
“We will demand that ironclad security guarantees be included in this agreement,” Izvestia quoted Mr. Grushko as saying.
Mr. Putin claims that his actions in Ukraine aim to protect Russia’s national security against what he describes as an aggressive and hostile West, particularly NATO’s expansion eastward. Ukraine and its Western allies argue that Russia is conducting an unprovoked war of aggression and an imperial-style land acquisition.
Moscow has insisted that Ukraine abandon its NATO aspirations, that Russia maintain control over all Ukrainian territories seized, and that the size of the Ukrainian military be restricted. Additionally, it seeks to ease Western sanctions and hold a presidential election in Ukraine, which Kyiv argues is premature while martial law is in place.
The European Union’s foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, stated that the conditions that Russia has set for agreeing to a ceasefire indicate that Moscow does not genuinely desire peace.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer mentioned on Saturday that Western allies, excluding the US, are intensifying preparations to support Ukraine in the event of a ceasefire with Russia, with defense chiefs expected to solidify “robust plans” next week.
Both Britain and France have expressed their willingness to send a peacekeeping force to oversee any ceasefire in Ukraine.
Russia, however, has dismissed the idea of peacekeepers until the conclusion of the war.
“If they are deployed there, it indicates that they are involved in the conflict zone with all the consequences for these contingents as participants in the conflict,” Russia’s Grushko stated.
“We can discuss unarmed observers and a civilian mission to monitor the implementation of specific aspects of this agreement or guarantee mechanisms. Until then, it’s merely idle talk.”
