President Donald Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin wrapped up their phone call on Tuesday after about 90 minutes as the US continues to push for a ceasefire to halt the conflict in Ukraine
Both sides said the call ended and readouts were expected soon.
The conversation was the second call between the US and Russian leaders since Trump returned to the White House in January. The first was in mid-February, after which Trump said he’d probably meet with Putin in the “not-too-distant-future.” That was followed by a flurry of renewed engagement between the two countries.
Recent comments by Trump have prompted fears that the US may be willing to sacrifice Kyiv’s interests as part of a push for a 30-day ceasefire. Before the call, Trump wrote in a Truth Social post that “many elements of a Final Agreement have been agreed to, but much remains.”
Those remarks, along with Trump’s comments to reporters Sunday night that the two sides were already talking about how to divide assets, suggest that many decisions have already been made — with or without Ukraine.
Ukraine and its European allies are anxious that Russia won’t honor any deal with Trump to end the war, leaving Kyiv vulnerable to attack in the future. After Trump came to office having pledged rapidly to end the conflict, they also worry that Putin may leverage US interest in securing a deal to make additional demands that would undermine Ukraine or threaten Europe’s future security.
Source: Bloomberg