United States President, Donald Trump, has announced that Russia and Ukraine will immediately initiate ceasefire negotiations, following a two-hour phone call with Russian President, Vladimir Putin.
Trump said, “Russia and Ukraine will immediately start negotiations toward a Ceasefire and, more importantly, an END to the War.”
Speaking on Truth Social, Trump emphasised that the terms of the ceasefire would be determined solely by the involved parties.
He stated, “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.”
He described the conversation with Putin as having an “excellent” tone and spirit.
Trump further suggested that Russia is eager to pursue economic ties with the United States once the conflict concludes, saying, “Russia wants to do large-scale TRADE with the United States when this catastrophic ‘bloodbath’ is over, and I agree.
“There is a tremendous opportunity for Russia to create massive amounts of jobs and wealth. Its potential is UNLIMITED.” He also noted that Ukraine “can be a great beneficiary on Trade.”
Following the call, Trump said he briefed several world leaders, including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, 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.
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Trump also mentioned that the Vatican had expressed interest in hosting the negotiations, adding, “The Vatican, as represented by the Pope, has stated that it would be very interested in hosting the negotiations. Let the process begin!”
The conversation with Putin is the third known phone call between the two leaders since Trump’s inauguration in January.
According to CNN, Trump, who has grown increasingly frustrated with Putin’s stance on peace talks, told reporters in Abu Dhabi last week that he believes he alone can advance the stalled negotiations.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt echoed Trump’s sentiment on Monday, stating that the president has “grown weary and frustrated with both sides of the conflict,” and that his primary objective “is to see a ceasefire and to see this conflict come to an end.”
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