Putin has concluded his phone conversation with Trump, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said
Russian President Vladimir Putin has concluded a lengthy phone conversation with his US counterpart Donald Trump, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has told TASS. The two leaders were engaged in a call of some 2.5 hours, from approximately 10am EDT on Tuesday.
The conversation marked the second time the two leaders have spoken by phone since Trump took office in January. They are believed to have discussed a potential ceasefire deal for the Ukraine conflict.
According to White House Deputy Chief of Staff Dan Scavino, who tweeted during the call, the conversation was “going well.”
The White House has also confirmed that Trump will speak to the press after concluding the call.
Tuesday’s engagement came after the US unveiled a 30-day ceasefire initiative, following a meeting with Ukrainian representatives in Saudi Arabia.
Putin has since stated that he is open to the idea of a truce but has demanded that key issues be addressed beforehand. These include the question of what to do with the Ukrainian troops encircled in Russia’s Kursk Region as well as guarantees that Kiev would not use the truce to rearm and replenish its ailing ranks.
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Previously, Trump said he expected to make significant progress in establishing a ceasefire during the phone call with Putin, stating that they would discuss a number of topics, including “land” and “power plants.”
Putin and Trump’s call on February 12 marked the first time that the leaders of Russia and the US had spoken in years. It was followed by high-level talks in Saudi Arabia on February 18, where Washington and Moscow agreed to assign teams to work on resolving the Ukraine conflict, restore embassy operations, and address other points of contention in bilateral relations.
Since then, additional discussions have been held in Istanbul, focusing on diplomatic funding and a proposal from Moscow to reinstate direct flights.
