Trump announces he will talk to Putin to push ceasefire in Ukraine
2 Min Read
Trump's announcement comes amid intensified efforts to push for a 30-day ceasefire, after Ukraine approved the plan and Russia signaled openness to it.
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President Donald Trump waves from the stairs of Air Force One upon his arrival at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland., Monday, March 17, 2025 (AP)
United States President Donald Trump announced on Monday that he will speak with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Tuesday, as he intensifies the efforts towards a 30-day ceasefire in Ukraine.
"I'll be speaking to President Putin on Tuesday," Trump announced to reporters aboard Air Force One, adding that "A lot of work's been done over the weekend... We want to see if we can bring that war to an end. Maybe we can, maybe we can't, but I think we have a very good chance."
The 30-day ceasefire was approved by Ukraine last week, according to a joint statement published on Tuesday, with the US announcing it will reinstate intelligence sharing and security assistance to Ukraine.
Trump answered reporters who asked about the potential concessions he would make to entice Russia to agree to the ceasefire, saying, "We will be talking about land, we will be talking about power plants," adding that Russia and the US were already discussing the division of certain assets.
Previously, US Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff told CNN that his four-hour meeting with Putin was "positive" and "solutions-based", claiming that Putin agrees with Trump's philosophy of ending the war in Ukraine, "The two sides are a lot closer today than they were a few weeks ago. We narrowed the differences," Witkoff said.
Ukraine agreed to a 30-day ceasefire in its conflict with Russia on March 11.
Russian President Vladimir Putin quickly signaled openness to discussing the US-proposed 30-day ceasefire in Ukraine but stressed that any agreement must tackle underlying issues rather than simply halt fighting temporarily at a press conference following his meeting with the Belarusian president on March 13.
During a press conference following his meeting with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, Putin acknowledged the proposal but emphasized the importance of guarantees to ensure lasting stability, "We agree with the proposal to stop the hostilities," Putin stated, maintaining that the ceasefire must contribute to resolving the underlying causes of the conflict rather than simply freezing the situation temporarily.
