Very productive exchange, says Putin on talks with Trump

Moscow: Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday described his two-hour-long phone conversation with former US President Donald Trump as "substantive" and "productive," raising fresh hopes for a potential breakthrough in the prolonged Russia-Ukraine conflict. The call, which focused on reviving stalled peace negotiations, marks a significant diplomatic development in the three-year-long war. "This conversation has effectively taken place and lasted more than two hours. I would like to emphasise that it was both substantive and quite candid. Overall, I believe it was a very productive exchange," Putin told the media following the conversation. The talks come amid renewed efforts by the United States to facilitate direct negotiations between Moscow and Kyiv.

While discussions between the Russian and Ukrainian sides were initially expected to resume through a high-level meeting between Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Turkey last week, the Russian leader did not attend. Trump, who was on a tour of West Asia at the time, had signalled he might visit the summit but did not make the trip either. Putin expressed gratitude to Trump for the United States' support in helping restart direct talks between Russia and Ukraine. "The President of the United States shared his position on the cessation of hostilities and the prospects for a ceasefire. For my part, I noted that Russia also supports a peaceful settlement of the Ukraine crisis. What we need now is to identify the most effective ways towards achieving peace," he said. The Russian President added that both leaders had agreed Russia would propose and engage with Ukraine on drafting a memorandum for a future peace agreement. "This would include outlining a range of provisions, such as the principles for settlement, the timeframe for a possible peace deal, and other matters, including a potential temporary ceasefire, should the necessary agreements be reached," Putin noted. He also noted that contact had resumed among participants of the Istanbul talks, providing some optimism that "we are on the right track overall."

Putin further reiterated Russia's stance -- "eliminating the root causes of this crisis is what matters most to us." Describing the call as "highly constructive," Putin emphasised the importance of both sides demonstrating a firm commitment to peace and compromise. "The key issue, of course, is now for the Russian side and the Ukrainian side to show their firm commitment to peace and to forge a compromise that would be acceptable to all parties," he said. Trump, in a lengthy post on his social media platform Truth Social, confirmed the details of the call, stating that ceasefire negotiations between Russia and Ukraine would begin immediately, and that the Vatican had offered to host the dialogue. "Just completed my two-hour call with President Vladimir Putin of Russia. I believe it went very well. Russia and Ukraine will immediately start negotiations toward a Ceasefire and, more importantly, an END to the War," Trump wrote. He also conveyed the results of the call to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and various European leaders in separate communications.