Putin indicated that attempts to end the war in Ukraine were “on the right track” and that Russia is willing to collaborate with Ukraine on a memorandum for a future peace agreement. Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday reported that he spoke with US President Donald Trump via telephone and said they had a “very useful” and “informative” conversation regarding how to end the war in Ukraine, while Trump stated that Russia and Ukraine would “immediately begin negotiations toward a ceasefire.”
It was very informative and very open and overall, in my opinion, very useful,” Russian state media quoted Putin as saying following the call, which took over two hours. As reported by The Guardian, the Kremlin, however, declined to acquiesce to a ceasefire, regardless of intensifying pressure from Washington.
Addressing journalists in Sochi, Putin termed the exchange as “very meaningful and frank,” and indicated a readiness to cooperate with Kyiv on a draft memorandum for use in future peace negotiations. But he refused to sign on to the temporary truce that US officials had cast as a key goal of the talks. Though Putin again asserted Moscow’s support for ceasing hostilities, he insisted that one must “develop the most effective paths toward peace.”
Notably, he again referred to what he termed the “root causes” of the war — repeating long-standing Kremlin requirements that critics maintain would drastically undermine Ukraine’s sovereignty. They comprise the demilitarisation and “de-Nazification” of Ukraine, limiting Western weaponry aid, and imposing draconian restrictions on the independence of the country.
Putin also expressed gratitude to Trump for his support of restoring direct negotiations between Moscow and Kyiv, and Putin reported that Trump mentioned Russia’s backing for peace, but the main issue was how to proceed towards peace.
We have come to an agreement with the president of the United States that Russia will initiate and is prepared to engage with the Ukrainian side on a memorandum of a potential future peace treaty, determining several positions, for instance, for example, the settlement principles, the timing of a potential peace agreement,” The Guardian reported Putin as saying to journalists outside the Black Sea resort of Sochi.
