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Translated by: Flutura Gashi-Mehmeti
- 19 May 2025 10:41
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US President Donald Trump held a more than two-hour phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday about peace in Ukraine, after European leaders urged the Kremlin to accept an immediate ceasefire to end the region's deadliest conflict since World War II. Trump, who says he wants to be remembered as a peacemaker, has repeatedly called for an end to the bloodshed in Ukraine, which his administration views as a proxy war between the United States and Russia.
Zelensky asked Trump not to make decisions about Ukraine without consulting Ukraine
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a press conference that he told US President Donald Trump not to make decisions about Ukraine without consulting Ukraine.
"I asked not to make any decisions about Ukraine without us. I made this request before the conversation with Putin. These are issues of principle for us and very important," Zelensky said, according to the report. "BBC".
Zelensky has said that official Kiev is considering a high-level meeting between Ukraine, Russia, the United States, European Union countries and Great Britain.
He said he would like such a meeting to be held as soon as possible in Turkey, the Vatican or Switzerland.
Zelensky has said a prisoner exchange could happen within days or weeks, but has reaffirmed his red lines.
He said he would not give in to Russia's persistent demands, which include full control of five Ukrainian regions occupied by Russia.
"Ukraine will not withdraw its troops from its territories," Zelensky said.
Von der Leyen reacts to Trump's phone call with Putin
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen thanked US President Donald Trump for his conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
"We had an excellent call with President Donald Trump, together with President Emmanuel Macron, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, President Alexander Stubb, Chancellor Friedrich Merz and President Volodymyr Zelensky to get a summary of his call with President Putin," Von der Leyen added. "I want to thank President Trump for his tireless efforts to bring about a ceasefire in Ukraine. It is important that the United States remains engaged."
Von der Leyen has said that Ukraine will continue to be supported to achieve lasting peace.
"We will continue to support Volodymyr Zelensky to achieve lasting peace in Ukraine," Von der Leyen wrote on the "X" platform.
Trump: Russia and Ukraine will begin ceasefire negotiations immediately
Photo: Associated Press
US President Donald Trump, in a post on the social network "Truth Social", said that Russia and Ukraine will immediately begin ceasefire negotiations, writes "BBC".
Trump posted after a nearly two-hour phone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
He said the call went very well.
"Russia and Ukraine will immediately begin negotiations towards a ceasefire and more importantly, an end to the war," Trump wrote.
He said that the conversation with Putin was in a very good spirit.
He added that the conditions for a ceasefire will be in negotiations between Ukraine and Russia, "because they know the details of a negotiation that no one else will be aware of."
Trump has even suggested that peace talks between Russia and Ukraine could take place at the Vatican.
"The Vatican, represented by the Pope, has stated that it would be very interested in hosting the negotiations," Trump wrote.
Putin says phone call with Trump was 'informative and sincere'
Photo: Associated Press
Russian President Vladimir Putin has described his nearly two-hour phone call with US President Donald Trump as "informative and sincere", reports "BBC".
"It was very informative and quite frank and very useful in this regard. First of all, I thanked the US president for the US support for the resumption of direct negotiations between Russia and Ukraine on a possible peace agreement. The US president expressed his position on a ceasefire. On the one hand, I noted that Russia favors a peaceful solution to the Ukrainian crisis. We simply need to determine the most effective ways to move towards peace," Putin said, Russian state media reported.
He said that "Russia will offer and is ready to work with Ukraine on a memorandum for a possible future peace agreement."
He said this would include "a possible ceasefire for a certain period of time, if the relevant agreement is reached."
Putin has said that the resumption of talks in Istanbul gives reason to believe that "we are on the right track."
Trump-Putin phone call ends after more than two hours
Trump - Putin (Photo from the archive)
Photo: Associated Press
The phone call between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin has ended after more than two hours, the White House has announced.
Russian state media TASS quoted Putin as saying that "in general we are on the right track."
TASS also reports that Putin has said that Russia and Ukraine must agree on "compromises that suit both sides" before a ceasefire can be reached.
According to the outlet, the Russian president also favors a "peaceful resolution of the Ukrainian crisis" and is willing to work with Kiev on a memorandum on future peace talks.
How do phone calls between Trump and Putin work?
Photo: Associated Press
Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin are holding a phone conversation on Monday, the third officially announced phone call this year between the presidents of the United States and Russia.
After Trump's inauguration in January, the first publicly announced phone call between him and Putin was on February 12.
Trump said at the time that both Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had expressed a desire for peace in separate phone calls, and he then ordered senior US officials to begin talks to end the war in Ukraine.
They spoke again on the phone on March 18. The Kremlin said they spoke for about two hours, one of Putin's longest phone calls.
Putin had agreed to temporarily halt attacks on Ukrainian energy facilities but had refused to agree to a full 30-day ceasefire that Trump hoped would be the first step toward a permanent peace deal. Ukraine and Russia accused each other of violating the moratorium on attacks on energy facilities.
They speak on coded lines. Translators participate. Putin speaks a little English, but to negotiate, he speaks Russian. So far, they have not used video conferencing.
Trump has repeatedly said that Putin is open to peace and that Ukraine simply does not have the "cards" in the war against Russia.
Trump has ruled out NATO membership for Ukraine and suggested that previous US support for the expansion of the US-led military alliance was a cause of the war.
European leaders say Putin is not serious about peace and fear Trump could force a punitive peace deal on Ukraine.
Trump-Putin talks begin
US President Donald Trump's phone call with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin is underway, Reuters news agency reports, citing a White House official.
The White House has previously stated that Trump aims to achieve a ceasefire from this conversation.
JD Vance: Putin doesn't know how to get out of the Ukraine war
Photo: Associated Press
US Vice President JD Vance said on Monday that if Russia does not move beyond past mistakes to exit the Ukraine war, the US will declare that this is not its war.
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force Two as he departed Italy, Vence repeated President Trump's statements that this war was started under Joe Biden.
He added that it seems as if Russian President Vladimir Putin doesn't know how to get out of the war.
"Putin doesn't seem to know quite how to get out of the Ukraine war," Vance said.
"It's Joe Biden's war, it's Vladimir Putin's war. It's not our war. We're going to try to end it, but if we can't end it, eventually we're going to say: 'You know what? It was worth trying, but we're not going to continue,'" he said.
Vance made the remarks shortly before a phone call between Trump and Putin on Monday regarding Ukraine.
The White House has said that Trump is aiming for a ceasefire in Ukraine from this conversation.
Trump aims for ceasefire in Ukraine from today's call with Putin
Photo: Associated Press
US President Donald Trump is expected to hold a phone conversation with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, on Monday at 14:00 PM local time.
White House Press Secretary Caroline Leavitt has stated that Trump's goal for today's conversation is "to achieve a ceasefire."
She added that the president is "very frustrated with both sides of the conflict," the BBC reports.
Asked if Trump hopes to arrange a personal meeting with his Russian counterpart, Leavitt said "the president would certainly be open to that."
Secretary Leavitt has added that "everything is on the table" in the future, including possible secondary sanctions on Russia.
