President Trump said the tone and spirit of his two-hour phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin about the Ukraine war were “excellent,” and Russia and Ukraine would “immediately start negotiations toward a ceasefire.”
Mr. Trump spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, according to a social media post, and Zelenskyy was also on the phone with NATO leaders after Mr. Trump’s call with Putin, though the White House has yet to release details of that conversation.
The president also stated that Pope Leo XIV has expressed an interest in hosting the negotiations, and he told reporters Monday afternoon that he believes “some progress has been made.” When asked if he believes Putin wants peace, Mr. Trump replied, “I do,” and when asked if he trusts Putin, he also replied, “I do.”
However, Putin has given little public indication that he wants a cease-fire or an end to the war that he started. Mr. Trump warned that the United States could still withdraw from negotiations to end the war.
“Very big egos involved, I tell you,” President Trump told reporters Monday afternoon. “There are big egos involved. But I think something will happen. And if it doesn’t, I’ll just back away, forcing them to continue. Again, this was a European issue.”
“I did say, ‘It’s time to stop this thing.’ “And I believe he wants to stop,” Mr. Trump told reporters, adding that he would know if Putin wanted to stop.
Mr. Trump said at an event Monday evening, “We had a good talk, and I think that progress is being made.”
Mr. Trump also stated in a statement that Russia “wants to do largescale TRADE with the United States when this catastrophic ‘bloodbath’ is over,” and that “there is a tremendous opportunity for Russia to create massive amounts of jobs and wealth.”
When asked ahead of the call about the possibility of imposing secondary sanctions on Russia, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said everything is on the table, even though the president did not mention sanctions in his statement.
After his call with Mr. Trump and NATO leaders, Zelenskyy issued a lengthy statement on social media, saying that if Russia isn’t “ready to stop the killings, there must be stronger sanctions.” He also urged the United States not to withdraw from Ukraine and the talks.
“It is crucial for all of us that the United States does not distance itself from the talks and the pursuit of peace, because the only one who benefits from that is Putin,” Zelenskyy wrote. He continued: “Ukraine has always been ready for peace.”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio joined President Trump’s phone call with Putin, according to State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce. Rubio stated in an interview aired Sunday on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan” that a breakthrough could only be achieved if Mr. Trump and Putin had “a direct conversation.”
Mr. Trump and Putin last spoke in March.
On Saturday, Mr. Trump stated that he and Putin would discuss the “bloodbath” in Ukraine. In Rome on Sunday, Vice President JD Vance met with Zelenskyy for the first time since their explosive February Oval Office meeting.
Vance told reporters on Monday that he spoke with Mr. Trump ahead of the call and expected the president to tell Putin that there would be “economic benefits to thawing relations between Russia and the rest of the world, but you’re not going to get those benefits.”
Vance stated that the president would confront Putin about the deaths of innocent people caused by Russians and tell him, “So, if you’re willing to stop the killing, the United States is willing to be a partner for peace.”
On Friday, Russia and Ukraine held lower-level delegation talks in Istanbul, attended by White House envoy Steve Wikoff. The talks in Istanbul ended after less than two hours, but both sides agreed to exchange 1,000 prisoners of war, according to official delegations.