Kremlin said that the process would take time also Trump indicated he was not ready to join Europe with fresh sanctions to pressurize Russia
The President of the United States (U.S.) – Donald Trump has said that Russia and Ukraine have agreed to begin immediate negotiations toward a ceasefire, following a phone call with the President of Russia – Vladimir Putin.
Trump said he has conveyed the plan to the President of Ukraine – Volodymyr Zelenskyy and top European leaders, including those from the European Union (E.U.), France, Germany, Italy, and Finland. The communication followed a separate group call after his conversation with Putin.
However, the Kremlin said that the process would take time. Trump indicated he was not ready to join Europe with fresh sanctions to pressurise Russia.
Taking it to X, Trump tweeted,
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 19, 2025
Putin thanked Trump for supporting the resumption of direct talks between Moscow and Kyiv after the two sides met in Turkey last week for their first face-to-face negotiations since March 2022.
Putin said, “We have agreed with the president of the United States that Russia will propose and is ready to work with the Ukrainian side on a memorandum on a possible future peace accord.”
Zelenskyy welcomed the resumption of dialogue and said Ukraine is open to direct negotiations in any format that brings results. He floated potential venues for the talks, including Turkey, Switzerland, or the Vatican. Trump said Pope Leo had expressed willingness to host negotiations, though the Vatican has not issued a statement. Putin, for his part, did not commit to any particular venue but acknowledged the Vatican’s proposal as a possibility under consideration.
The President of the European Commission – Ursula von der Leyen, tweeted,
Good call with President @realDonaldTrump together with President @EmmanuelMacron, Prime Minister @GiorgiaMeloni and President @alexstubb, Chancellor @_FriedrichMerz and President @ZelenskyyUa to get debriefed from his call with President Putin.
— Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) May 19, 2025
I want to thank President Trump…
Ukraine has also accused Russia of failing to negotiate in good faith, doing the minimum needed to keep Trump from applying new pressure on its economy.
