US President Donald Trump has declared that ceasefire discussions between Russia and Ukraine will commence “immediately” following a recent conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin. In a post shared on Truth Social, Trump expressed optimism about the call, asserting that it “went very well” and indicated that “Russia wants to do largescale TRADE with the United States when this catastrophic ‘bloodbath’ is over.”
Details of Trump’s Communication
Trump elaborated on his outreach, stating, “I have so informed President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, of Ukraine, Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, President Emmanuel Macron, of France, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, of Italy, Chancellor Friedrich Merz, of Germany, and President Alexander Stubb, of Finland, during a call with me, immediately after the call with President Putin. The Vatican, as represented by the Pope, has stated that it would be very interested in hosting the negotiations. Let the process begin!”
Prior to Trump’s announcement, Putin remarked that a “ceasefire is possible if the right agreements are reached,” though he did not specify what those agreements would entail. He noted that more details would be provided by Kremlin press secretary Dmitry Peskov or the head of Moscow’s negotiating team, Vladimir Ushakov. Putin stated, “Russia will propose and is ready to work with the Ukrainian side on a memorandum on a possible future peace agreement with the definition of a number of positions, such as, for example, the principles of a solution, the timing of a possible peace agreement and so on, including a possible ceasefire for a certain period of time if appropriate agreements are reached.”
Challenges in Achieving Peace
Despite ongoing efforts, Russia has maintained that addressing what it describes as the “root causes” of the conflict is essential. These include Ukraine’s aspirations to join the EU and NATO, NATO’s alleged breach of commitments regarding eastward expansion, and accusations of discrimination against ethnic Russians. However, Russia has yet to provide substantial evidence to support these claims.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt commented on Monday, noting that Trump’s primary objective is “to see a ceasefire,” while acknowledging the former president’s growing frustration with both conflicting parties. On May 15, Trump stated, “Nothing’s going to happen until Putin and I together.” He later emphasized the urgency, saying, “I think it’s time for us to just do it.”
US Vice President JD Vance indicated that Trump intends to press Putin on his genuine interest in concluding the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. “We realise there’s a bit of an impasse here,” Vance remarked, adding, “And I think the president’s going to say to President Putin: ‘Look, are you serious? Are you real about this?’” He further expressed uncertainty regarding Putin’s strategy for ending the conflict, suggesting that Washington may reconsider its mediation efforts if no significant progress towards peace is observed.
Although it was Putin who initially proposed direct talks between the two nations, he declined an invitation from Zelenskyy to engage in discussions in Istanbul last week, opting instead for a lower-level delegation. Following these developments, President Zelenskyy convened his team on Monday to “evaluate the outcome” of the negotiations, stating that Ukraine had made every effort to expedite a ceasefire and that Russia remains the primary obstacle to achieving peace.
Zelenskyy also highlighted that the most significant outcome of the recent talks was the agreement to exchange 1,000 prisoners of war from each side, with arrangements for this swap currently underway by Ukraine’s Security Service.