Washington-Biała House says that President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin began a very expected call when the US administration wants to convince the Russian leader to sign a 30-day proposal to suspend weapons as a possible path of war.
Tuesday’s conversation occurs after Ukrainian officials last week agreed to the American proposal during talks in Saudi Arabia conducted by the Secretary of State Marco Rubio. The Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy remains skeptical, however, that Putin is ready for peace because Russian forces are still going to Ukraine.
Before calling, Trump said that he was expecting to discuss Putin with the land and power plants that were occupied during the three -year war. Deputy Chief of Staff of the White House, Dan Scavino, said in social media that the leaders’ conversation began at 10 am and was “Goes well.”
Commitment is the latest turn in the radically changing US-Russia relations, because Trump quickly ended the conflict with the highest priority-at the expense of burden related to many years of American allies who want Putin to pay the price for the invasion.
“This is a bad situation in Russia and it is a bad situation in Ukraine,” Trump told reporters on Monday. “What is happening in Ukraine is not good, but we will see if we can organize a peace agreement, arms suspension and peace.
As part of the preparation for calling Trump-Putin, a special envoy of the White House Steve Witkoff met Putin in Moscow last week to discuss this proposal. Rubio convinced older Ukrainian officials during talks in Saudi Arabia agree to the weapon suspension framework.
Putin said last week that he Generally agreed With the US proposal, he emphasized that Russia would seek a guarantee that Ukraine would not take advantage of the break in war activity to strengthen and continue mobilization. The Russian president has It also required The fact that Ukraine will give up joining NATO’s military alliance sharply cut the army and protects the Russian language and culture to keep the country in Moscow orbit.
»Read more: The short -term suspension of weapons will not lead to Ukraine’s peace if Trump supports Putin | Rubin hardships
The US President said that Washington and Moscow have already begun to discuss “sharing some assets” between Ukraine and Russia under the conflict end agreement.
Trump, who during his campaign undertook to end the war quickly, in moments boasted of his relationship with Putin and He blamed Ukraine for an unpired Russian invasionAt the same time, accusing Zelenskyy of the unnecessary extension of the largest land war in Europe since World War II.
Putin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, told reporters on Tuesday that Trump and Putin discuss the war in Ukraine, but they added that there is also a “vast number of questions” regarding the normalization of US-Russia relations.
Trump said that the control of land and power plant will be part of the conversation that will take place on the anniversary of Russia APPLICATION OF THE CRM Peninsula 11 years ago. This brave grip of Russia prepared a scene for Russia to attack a neighbor in 2022.
The press secretary of Witkoff and the White House Karoline Leavitt suggested that the US and Russian officials talked about the fate of the Zaporzhia nuclear power plant – the largest in Europe – in southern Ukraine.
The plant has been caught in the cross since Moscow He sent soldiers to Ukraine in 2022 And he searched for the object soon after. The UN International Atomic Energy Agency has repeatedly expressed an alarm about this, fueling concerns about the potential nuclear disaster.
The plant is a significant advantage, producing Almost a quarter of Ukraine’s electricity a year before the war.
“I can say that we are on the room line for 10 yards,” said Leavitt. “And we’ve never been closer to a peace agreement than at the moment.
But Bradley Bowman, senior director of the Center for Military and Political Authority at the Democracy Defense Foundation, asked if Putin was ready to end the war or whether he would maintain a potential further concessions when Trump becomes impatient.
»Read more: Zelensky Ukraine refuses to apologize after he was convinced by Trump and Vance; Pa. Visit part of the argument
After the catastrophic meeting of the White House on February 28 with Zelenskyy, Trump temporarily cut off the division of military intelligence and assist in Ukraine. He was restored after the Ukrainians signed a 30-day proposal to suspend Trump suspension.
“The United States consistently offer in some preventive concessions that weaken the American and Ukrainian negotiating position,” said Bowman. “I think there is a real danger here, that the administration approach comes down to Kiev for Ukraine and carrots for Putin.”
Zelensky in his Night video address on Monday He explained that he remains doubtful that Putin was ready for peace.
“Now, almost a week later, it is clear to everyone in the world – even for those who have refused to give the truth for the last three years – that Putin is still drawing this war,” said Zalelenskyy.
In his contacts with Zelenskyy and Putin, Trump often focused on who had the lever. Putin has “cards” and Zelenskyy does not do it, Trump said many times.
Trump, who has long been admiring Putin, also explained that he would like the US-Russia union to return to a more normal basis.
During his last controversial meeting with Zelenskyy, the president complained that “Putin had a hell with me”, a reference to the federal Investigation of Russian interference In the presidential election in 2016, in which he defeated the democrat of Hillary Clinton.
On Monday, Trump emphasized his view that Ukraine is not in a forceful negotiation position. He said that the Russian forces “surrounded” the Ukrainian army in the Russian region of Kursk – strengthening the theorem of Russian officials that were questioned by Zelenskyy.
Army of Ukraine Stunned Russia in August last year attacking through the border and taking control of about 1300 square kilometers (500 square miles) of land. But Ukraine’s forces are now in the reverse and almost lost their valuable tender system because the rush builds Suspension of weapons with Russia.
Zelenskyy admitted that the Ukrainians are on the back foot, while questioning the Russian claims that his soldiers are surrounded in Kursk.
Trump suggested that he had taken unspecified actions that stopped Russia from killing the Ukrainian troops in Kursk.
“They are surrounded by Russian soldiers and I believe that if it wasn’t, there would be no more,” said Trump.
Leavitt is one of the three officials of the Trump administration who are in the face of the process of Associated Press based on the first and fifth and fifth anme. AP claims that all three punish the press agency for editorial decisions that they oppose. The White House claims that AP does not comply with the executive order to name the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America.
