TRANSCRIPT
United States President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin have agreed the war in Ukraine must end with a lasting peace, with talks to begin immediately.
The White House released this statement shortly after their more than hour-long call.
“Today, President Trump and President Putin spoke about the need for peace and a ceasefire in the Ukraine war. Both leaders agreed this conflict needs to end with a lasting peace. They also stressed the need for improved bilateral relations between the United States and Russia. The blood and treasure that both Ukraine and Russia have been spending in this war would be better spent on the needs of their people.”
Mr Trump later posted on social media that the call was positive and that several elements of a peace deal were discussed.
“We agreed to an immediate ceasefire on all energy and infrastructure, with an understanding that we will be working quickly to have a complete ceasefire and, ultimately, an END to this very horrible war between Russia and Ukraine. ... Many elements of a contract for peace were discussed, including the fact that thousands of soldiers are being killed, and both President Putin and President Zelenskyy would like to see it end. That process is now in full force and effect, and we will, hopefully, for the sake of humanity, get the job done!”
The Kremlin says Mr Putin agreed to a 30-day pause in attacks on energy infrastructure and ordered the Russian military to comply.
The Kremlin’s statement says the two leaders had a "detailed and frank exchange" about Ukraine, with Mr Putin insisting any resolution must be comprehensive, sustainable, and long-term, considering Russia’s security concerns and the war’s root causes.
“During the conversation, Donald Trump put forward a proposal on the mutual refusal of the parties of the conflict from strikes on energy infrastructure facilities for 30 days. Vladimir Putin responded positively to this initiative and immediately gave the Russian military the appropriate order.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Kyiv would support the US proposal to halt strikes on Russian energy sites and hoped to discuss it with President Trump, if only he'd call.
“We support all steps aimed at ending the war. We will support them. But in order to support them, we need to understand what exactly we support. When President Trump has time, he is a busy man, when he has time, he can call me any time, he has my phone number. We are ready to talk through further steps, with pleasure. ... We are sceptical when it comes to trusting the Russians. There is no trust in Putin. That’s why I am saying we need to understand how it will work technically so that it will not depend on their will alone. That is it.”
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz says the latest phone call between the U-S and Russian leaders must be a first step towards proper peace in Ukraine.
Speaking after a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron, Mr Scholz says Ukraine must be involved in these negotiations.
"The ceasefire now announced regarding attacks on energy infrastructure can be an important first step along the way to peace. The same applies to the start of technical negotiations for a ceasefire at sea. The next step must be a complete ceasefire for Ukraine and as quickly as possible. Of course it is clear, and we both agree on this too, that there must be no decision without Ukraine and over the heads of the Ukrainians.”
However, some experts are expressing doubt about the progress of negotiations.
Liana Fix, a fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, says it is unusual for world leaders to engage so early in talks.
“The minimum that can be achieved here is a ceasefire. And what we already see now is that the Russian side is trying to buy time. It has not agreed to an unconditional ceasefire. Vladimir Putin himself has not agreed to it, and he sees benefits for Russia through direct interaction with President Trump and demanding that he would agree to an unconditional ceasefire, he only has to discuss some things with President Trump himself, gives him an access which he knows is hugely beneficial for the Russian side. So he is getting all the benefits of trying to prolong and to stall the implementation of a ceasefire. And we are likely to see this continuing.”
Mark Cancian, a senior adviser at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies, says that while the talks were productive, there was no overall ceasefire yet.
“The encouraging thing was that they are talking. It seems to have been a productive conversation and certainly went on for a long time. There's no indication of any rancor. So that's good. The disappointing part is that there's no 30-day ceasefire. That's what had been on the table before. Ukraine had agreed to that. There's a ceasefire against energy targets and infrastructure. There is a commitment to look at a maritime ceasefire in the Black Sea and maybe a longer ceasefire and then, of course, a full peace settlement. But the shooting on the front lines will continue.”
