The Conversation Between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin Took Place on Tuesday Afternoon
The leaders of the world’s two major powers spoke on the phone for over an hour.
In a message posted on his social media platform, Truth Social, Donald Trump summarized the key decisions agreed upon during his discussion with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin.
“My phone conversation today with President Putin of Russia was very good and productive,” he noted.
From this message, it appears that the American president is expected to convince Ukraine to agree to a 30-day halt on strikes against energy infrastructure. Trump also reiterated his claims that the war in Ukraine would never have started if he had been president of the United States.
“Today, President Trump and President Putin discussed the need for peace and a ceasefire in the war in Ukraine. The two leaders agreed that this conflict must end with a lasting peace. They also emphasized the necessity of improving bilateral relations between the United States and Russia. The blood and treasure that both Ukraine and Russia have spent on this war would be better used for the needs of their people. This conflict should never have started and should have ended long ago with sincere and good-faith peace efforts.
The leaders agreed that the move toward peace will begin with a ceasefire on energy and infrastructure, as well as technical negotiations on implementing a maritime ceasefire in the Black Sea, a total ceasefire, and a permanent peace. These negotiations will begin immediately in the Middle East. The leaders spoke extensively about the Middle East as a region of potential cooperation for preventing future conflicts.
They further discussed the need to stop the proliferation of strategic weapons and will engage with others to ensure the broadest possible enforcement. The two leaders shared the view that Iran should never be in a position to destroy Israel,” the White House stated.
The two leaders agreed that a future with improved bilateral relations between the United States and Russia has enormous advantages. This includes major economic agreements and geopolitical stability once peace is achieved.
Putin Agrees to Ceasefire
Following discussions between the two leaders, Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed to a ceasefire and ordered the military to halt attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure for 30 days, according to Sky News.
“The leaders agreed that the move toward peace will begin with a ceasefire on energy infrastructure, as well as technical negotiations regarding the implementation of a maritime ceasefire in the Black Sea, a total ceasefire, and a permanent peace,” the White House statement read.
Kremlin officials also noted that Putin expressed gratitude to Donald Trump for his initiatives toward establishing an armistice.
At the same time, the Russian leader imposed a key condition to prevent further escalation of the conflict: he demanded a complete cessation of foreign military aid and intelligence sharing with Kyiv, the Kremlin further reported.
Reactions and Global Responses
Tuesday’s phone conversation between Russian President Vladimir Putin and American President Donald Trump “went very well,” a Russian source told CNN.
An announcement from the White House regarding the details of their discussion is expected soon. In a post on X, Kirill Dmitriev, Putin’s envoy for international cooperation, wrote:
“Under the leadership of President Putin and President Trump, the world has become a much safer place today! Historic! Epic!”
Meanwhile, as Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin were concluding their phone conversation about the war in Ukraine, Kyiv’s leader, Volodymyr Zelensky, posted a message on his X account.
During an official visit to Finland, the Ukrainian president called for Europe to be present at the peace negotiation table.
“Europe must be at the negotiating table, and everything related to Europe’s security should be decided together with Europe,” he wrote.
Additionally, Zelensky urged for stronger sanctions against Russia.
At around 6:00 PM, the phone conversation between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin ended. According to international media, the two leaders spoke for about an hour and a half.
A statement from the White House announced that the President of the United States would address the press following his discussion with the Kremlin leader. Trump is expected to present conclusions that the entire world is anticipating regarding Ukraine, the main topic of his conversation with Putin.
Diplomatic and Political Reactions
Important information is coming from across the ocean. U.S. President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, began their phone call at 10:00 AM ET (4:00 PM Romanian time), according to a White House official.
“The conversation is going well and is still ongoing,” wrote Dan Scavino, Deputy Chief of Staff at the White House, in a post on X (formerly Twitter). Earlier, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated that Trump and Putin would speak for as long as they deemed necessary.
At this hour, according to the Kremlin spokesperson, the phone conversation between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin was supposed to be underway. However, the Russian president was attending a congress of the Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs at the same time.
When the union’s leader, Alexander Shokhin, mentioned that the call with Trump was scheduled to begin at 3:00 PM, Putin jokingly responded, “Don’t listen to Peskov, he’s just doing his job.”
On the same occasion, Vladimir Putin also commented on the economic growth of the Eurozone in 2024, making an ironic remark about the Group of Seven (G7).
“I remind you that in 2024, the GDP of the Eurozone grew by 0.9% — G7. Why it’s called ‘great’ is unclear. Anywhere you look on the map, you can barely see it,” he said.
His statement comes in the context of ongoing tensions between Russia and Western countries, including G7 members, which have imposed economic sanctions against Moscow.
Other International Reactions
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer called Donald Trump before his planned conversation with Vladimir Putin. According to a statement from Starmer’s office, the two discussed the war in Ukraine and Trump’s desire to end it as soon as possible.
“Ukraine must be in the strongest possible position to secure a just and lasting peace,” Starmer told Trump.
During their conversation, Starmer informed Trump about the meetings of the “coalition of the willing” and stated that over 30 countries are ready to support Ukraine.
The talks between Trump and Putin are taking place amid growing rumors that the U.S. is considering recognizing Crimea as part of Russia and may urge the U.N. to do the same. The information was published by the American news site Semafor, citing two individuals familiar with the matter, although no official confirmation has been obtained from the White House.
Criticism and Military Reactions
On the eve of this conversation, the American president faced criticism from former military elites. General Ben Hodges, former commander of U.S. forces in Europe, accused Trump’s peace plan of being a surrender of Ukraine to Russia.
“This is anything but a peace plan. This is surrender—it is U.S. pressure to hand Ukraine over to Russia. The mask fell when we saw the disaster in the Oval Office two weeks ago and then everything that has happened since,” General Ben Hodges told The Guardian.
Meanwhile, tensions in Eastern Europe are escalating by the day. On Tuesday, Poland and the Baltic states of Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia announced their withdrawal from the Ottawa Convention, which bans anti-personnel mines.
“The military threats to NATO member states bordering Russia and Belarus have significantly increased,” the defense ministers of the four countries said in a joint statement.
France’s Diplomatic Moves
In the diplomatic arena, French President Emmanuel Macron will visit Berlin on Tuesday, just two days before the EU summit, for further discussions with acting German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. During his short stay in the German capital, Macron is also expected to meet with Scholz’s likely successor, conservative leader Friedrich Merz, following their previous meeting in Paris three weeks ago.
