U.S. President Donald Trump held a 90-minute phone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday, engaging in an in-depth discussion on the Ukraine war and other key issues.
Although they did not immediately agree on a full ceasefire in Ukraine, Putin appeared to soften his stance compared to previous positions during the lengthy discussion with Trump.
According to the White House, negotiations for this agreement between the U.S. and Russia will begin immediately.
They also decided to initiate talks concerning the Middle East.
Both leaders agreed to a limited ceasefire in which Russia and Ukraine would halt attacks on energy and infrastructure facilities for the next 30 days.
The White House stated that this suspension of attacks on energy and infrastructure was a step toward peace, ultimately leading to a ceasefire in the Black Sea naval conflict and, eventually, a complete and permanent end to the war.
The negotiations for this agreement will begin immediately, according to the White House.
However, whether Ukraine will be included in these ceasefire negotiations remains unclear.
Beyond the Ukraine war, the two leaders discussed improving U.S.-Russia relations and reducing strategic arms.
The White House reported that Trump and Putin agreed that improving U.S.-Russia relations would be mutually beneficial, providing economic advantages and enhancing geopolitical stability.
Additionally, the White House stated that the phone meeting resulted in a shared understanding of the need to halt the proliferation of strategic weapons. Both leaders agreed to include other parties in the discussions to maximize the impact.
These “other parties” are widely believed to include China.
This signals a possible negotiation between the U.S., China, and Russia regarding strategic arms reduction shortly.
Trump also expanded the discussion to Israeli security.
The White House stated that both leaders agreed on preventing conflicts in the Middle East and emphasized that Iran must not threaten Israel’s existence.
