Trump says he’s ‘very much’ looking forward to his call with Putin

Many elements of the Ukraine peace deal have been agreed upon, but some issues remain unresolved, the US president has said

US President Donald Trump has said that he is looking forward to his next conversation with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, during which the settlement of the Ukraine conflict will be discussed.

Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One on Sunday that he plans to speak with Putin on Tuesday for the second time since taking office. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed on Monday that the conversation between the two leaders would take place the next day. 

Trump has posted on his Truth Social platform that during his upcoming call with Putin, the two will focus on finding ways to end the Ukraine conflict. 

“Thousands of young soldiers, and others, are being killed... it must end NOW,” he insisted.

Speaking about a possible peace deal between Washington and Moscow, the US president stressed that “many elements of a Final Agreement have been agreed to, but much remains.” 

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“I look very much forward to the call with President Putin,” Trump concluded. 

The US president said earlier that during their conversation, he and his Russian counterpart will, among other things, address the territorial realities on the ground in the conflict between Moscow and Kiev, as well as the situation around nuclear power plants endangered by the fighting. 

Peskov has refused to reveal any details of the upcoming call, saying that “discussions between the two heads of state should not be preemptively disclosed.” 

Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff met with Putin in Moscow last week to propose a 30-day ceasefire, to which Kiev had agreed during talks with Washington in Saudi Arabia last week. 

The Russian president said later that Moscow welcomes the ceasefire in principle, but insists that certain issues need to be addressed before he could agree to it.

Putin reiterated that any settlement must address “the original causes of the crisis.” He also expressed concern that Ukraine could use the pause in the fighting to replenish its forces. 

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The Russian and US leaders first spoke on the phone in mid-February and, according to Peskov, discussed Ukraine, the Middle East and bilateral relations. Putin supported Trump’s stance that “our countries [should begin] working together,” the spokesman noted.