On Tuesday, a crucial conversation is set to take place between President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, as the White House claims it is nearing a temporary ceasefire agreement aimed at halting the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
This call, which is scheduled to start at 10 a.m. ET, will serve as a significant evaluation of Trump’s ability to fulfill his campaign promise of ending the war, especially given that he has largely aligned with Putin’s perspective on the conflict since their last discussion.
According to sources familiar with the negotiations, a primary focus of the call will be to secure concessions from Russia, particularly regarding its willingness to withdraw troops from territories it has occupied since its invasion of Ukraine three years ago.
Trump hinted at this during a conversation with reporters on Air Force One on Sunday, mentioning that U.S. negotiators have been exploring the possibility of “dividing up certain assets.”
“We’ll be discussing land. A lot of land has changed since before the war, as you know. We’ll be addressing land and power plants, which is a significant issue,” Trump stated.
The Kremlin has indicated that Putin has been preparing for this discussion, with his team developing talking points to outline Russia’s stance.
Dan Scavino, the White House deputy chief of staff, shared on social media around 11 a.m. that “the call is going well, and still in progress,” indicating that the leaders had been engaged in conversation for approximately an hour.
The negotiations aimed at resolving the conflict began following a phone call between Trump and Putin last month, which marked a revival of dialogue after a prolonged period of silence between the White House and the Kremlin. Subsequently, President Trump met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the Oval Office, a meeting that ended with Trump and Vice President JD Vance raising their voices at Zelensky and asking the Ukrainians to leave, leading to a temporary halt in U.S. military aid and intelligence sharing.
After weeks of rigorous negotiations involving senior U.S. officials, including Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and national security adviser Mike Waltz, a significant development occurred with the announcement of a U.S.-led ceasefire proposal. Following Zelensky’s acceptance of the 30-day proposal last week, the U.S. emphasized that the responsibility now lay with Russia to respond, with Trump stating, “Russia holds all the cards.”
The push to bring Russia closer to an agreement gained momentum with Witkoff’s visit to Moscow on Thursday, where he engaged in several hours of direct discussions with Putin, as previously reported by CNN. Witkoff described the meeting with Putin—his second known encounter with the Russian president this year—as “positive,” noting that both sides had made progress in narrowing their differences.
Witkoff suggested that Putin holds a “philosophical belief in a truce,” following the Russian leader’s expression of various concerns.
Subsequently, Witkoff traveled to Florida to update Trump on the discussions. Sources indicated that Trump was so optimistic about Witkoff’s briefing that he instructed his team to start arranging a phone call with Putin.
Over the weekend, Rubio engaged in discussions with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
On Monday, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt informed reporters, “We are on the 10-yard line of peace,” emphasizing that the US has “never been closer to a peace agreement than we are at this moment.”
A White House official echoed this sentiment in a conversation with CNN, stating that just a week prior, they were “hundreds of miles apart, but now we’re only a couple hundred yards away.” The official characterized Tuesday’s anticipated Trump-Putin phone call as the “natural next step” in the negotiation process.
The possibility of an in-person meeting between Trump and Putin, which Trump mentioned last month as something he envisioned occurring soon, is expected to be discussed during their call, the official noted.
Trump and his team have consistently maintained that hostilities must cease before addressing the more complex issues that need resolution for a long-term peace agreement, such as establishing territorial boundaries and negotiating security assistance for Ukraine.
However, Putin has expressed doubts regarding the US proposal, stating last week that Ukraine must agree to certain concessions, including ceasing mobilization and troop training, and that other countries must halt arms supplies to Kyiv during the ceasefire.
One of the key negotiators, Yuriy Ushakov, dismissed the U.S. proposal for a ceasefire, labeling it as merely a “temporary pause for the Ukrainian military.”
When CNN inquired about President Putin’s hesitations and whether he was attempting to buy time, Rubio responded on Friday, stating, “Our foreign policy decisions will not be based solely on what a leader claims during a press conference.”
He further remarked, “This situation will unfold in the traditional manner, as similar high-stakes matters have historically done, with the leaders of the involved nations engaging in discussions away from the public eye and media, focusing on negotiations.”
Concessions under consideration
High-ranking U.S. officials have consistently maintained that any lasting resolution to the Russia-Ukraine conflict will necessitate concessions from all parties, although they have been cautious about revealing specifics publicly.
Following discussions with Russian representatives in Riyadh last month, Waltz noted, “The practical reality is that territorial discussions will occur.” When asked by CNN if it would be acceptable for Russia to keep the territory it has annexed since 2022, Waltz indicated that it was a matter “to be discussed.”
Before a meeting with Ukrainian officials last week, Rubio mentioned that they were in a “listening mode” and “not going to be in a room drawing lines on a map,” but were interested in understanding “what concessions might be feasible.”
In a Sunday interview, Waltz was questioned about the possibility of “Russia retaining the Donbas along with Crimea,” two regions currently under its occupation.
“Are we going to expel every Russian from every inch of Ukrainian territory, including Crimea?” he responded to ABC News. “We can debate what is right and wrong, but we must also acknowledge the realities on the ground. That is the focus of our diplomatic efforts, including shuttle diplomacy and proximity talks,” he explained.
Another topic likely to arise in discussions with Putin is the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant located in southeastern Ukraine, which has been under Russian control since the early stages of the conflict. Ukraine has consistently called for its return, emphasizing that its continued control by Russia poses a significant risk of a radiological disaster.
As the largest nuclear power facility in Europe, it has not generated electricity for Ukraine since Moscow assumed control.
Additionally, American officials consider access to Black Sea ports to be a crucial element of any final agreement, as this has been a persistent source of tension. Russia has targeted Ukraine’s ports, while Ukraine has been actively working to counter Russian naval forces based in the Crimean port of Sevastopol.
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