Donald Trump, after Vladimir Putin call, says Russia-Ukraine ceasefire talks to start ‘immediately’

US President Donald Trump said he held a two-hour call with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday (May 19), after which both leaders reportedly agreed to support immediate negotiations with Ukraine to end the ongoing war.

"Just completed my two hour call with President Vladimir Putin of Russia. I believe it went very well," Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.

Ceasefire and end to war

According to Trump, Russia and Ukraine are set to begin talks aimed at establishing a ceasefire and ultimately ending the conflict that began with Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

"Russia and Ukraine will immediately start negotiations toward a Ceasefire and, more importantly, an END to the War," Trump said.

He emphasised that the specifics of any agreement would be worked out directly by Moscow and Kyiv.

"The conditions for that will be negotiated between the two parties, as it can only be, because they know details of a negotiation that nobody else would be aware of."

“Excellent” tone and spirit

Trump described the tone of his conversation with Putin as “excellent,” stating that he would have said otherwise if it had not been.

"The tone and spirit of the conversation were excellent. If it wasn’t, I would say so now, rather than later."

Trade incentives with Russia and Ukraine

Trump also pointed to the possibility of future economic cooperation between the US and both Russia and Ukraine, particularly once the war ends.

"Russia wants to do largescale TRADE with the United States when this catastrophic 'bloodbath' is over, and I agree."

He added that both nations could see significant economic benefits from peace.

"There is a tremendous opportunity for Russia to create massive amounts of jobs and wealth. Its potential is UNLIMITED. Likewise, Ukraine can be a great beneficiary on Trade, in the process of rebuilding its Country."

Outreach to global leaders

Trump stated that he informed several key international leaders of the developments immediately after speaking with Putin. These included Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, French President Emmanuel Macron, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, and Finnish President Alexander Stubb.

Vatican offers to host talks

He also noted that the Vatican, represented by Pope Francis, had expressed interest in hosting the negotiations.

"The Vatican, as represented by the Pope, has stated that it would be very interested in hosting the negotiations. Let the process begin!"

Doubts persist

US Vice President JD Vance, ahead of Trump's call with Putin said the US president would press Russian President Vladimir Putin on whether he was truly serious about ending the war in Ukraine. According to Vance, Trump remains skeptical.

“It takes two to tango,” Vance said.

“If Russia is not willing to do that, then we’re eventually just going to have to say, this is not our war. It’s Joe Biden’s war, it’s Vladimir Putin’s war."

Vance added that Trump may "wash his hands" of trying to broker peace if Russia doesn’t demonstrate genuine commitment.

Putin open to talks

Following the much-publicised call with Trump, Russian President Putin characterised the discussion as “very informative and very frank” but admitted that no major breakthrough had occurred.

“The warring countries should find compromises that would suit all parties,” Putin said.

“Moscow will propose and is ready to work with Ukraine on a memorandum outlining the framework for a possible future peace treaty.”

He reiterated Russia’s stance, stating the country’s main goal remains addressing what it sees as the “root causes” of the conflict.

Stalled Turkey talks, POW exchange in sight

Earlier, Ukraine offered to meet Putin in person in Turkey to discuss a 30-day ceasefire. However, Putin declined, reportedly telling allies the meeting held no value without Trump’s presence.

“He and I will meet, and I think we’ll solve it — or maybe not,” Trump told reporters Friday aboard Air Force One during his return from a Middle East trip.

Instead of a presidential-level summit, Russian and Ukrainian delegations met in Istanbul. The talks, the first direct negotiations since March 2022, ended in under two hours and yielded no ceasefire. Still, both sides agreed to a prisoner exchange of 1,000 detainees each.

Ukraine’s intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov confirmed that the exchange could take place “as early as this week.”

Zelensky meets US officials, rips Russia’s delegation

On Sunday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Senator Vance in Rome. Zelensky said they discussed the stalled Turkey talks.

“The Russians sent a low-level delegation of non-decision-makers,” Zelensky said. "We are engaged in real diplomacy to achieve a ceasefire.”

Zelensky also mentioned the importance of continued pressure on Russia.

“We have also touched upon the need for sanctions against Russia, bilateral trade, defense cooperation, battlefield situation, and upcoming prisoners exchange,” he said.

“Pressure is needed against Russia until they are eager to stop the war.”