Trump says he had "great conversation" with Putin amid renewed peace push

President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he had spoken positively with Russian President Vladimir Putin, portraying the contact as part of a renewed effort to end Russia’s war against Ukraine. Speaking after the conversation, Trump said he believed Putin was prepared to reach an agreement, while adding that progress would also depend on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy being willing to participate in a settlement. His comments put the focus back on diplomacy after a weekend in which U.S. representatives held separate meetings in Moscow and Kyiv.

Trump made the remarks at Joint Base Andrews, where he described the exchange as a “great conversation.” The public comments offered a broad assessment rather than details of a possible framework, timetable or terms. The White House did not issue its own account of the discussion or independently confirm that the call occurred, meaning the Russian side supplied the only official readout of the contact. That lack of a U.S. summary leaves key questions unanswered, including whether concrete proposals were exchanged or any follow-up was arranged.

Russian officials said the call took place Tuesday. In their description, Trump told Putin that an end to the war could create an immediate opening to restore U.S.-Russia relations more fully. The Russian account also said Trump was seeking a breakthrough in efforts to resolve the conflict during his presidency. Neither side publicly released a detailed record of what, if anything, was agreed. The two accounts therefore establish that diplomatic engagement continued, but do not establish an agreed pathway to a settlement. No public statement set out a ceasefire, territorial deal or security arrangement.

The reported call followed a weekend of meetings involving two of Trump’s senior envoys, Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff. The pair met Putin in Moscow and then held talks with Zelenskyy in Kyiv. Kushner, who is Trump’s son-in-law, said Sunday that the president had been following those discussions closely as his administration looked for a route toward ending the war.

The Kyiv meeting carried particular significance because it was the first visit to Ukraine by Kushner and Witkoff since Trump took office in January 2025. Zelenskyy said the aim was to secure a peace that would be both fair and just, with safeguards intended to prevent Russia from launching another attack on Ukraine. He said Tuesday that he could meet Trump later this month.

Trump has repeatedly argued that Putin wants an agreement, but the immediate military picture has remained at odds with a rapid diplomatic resolution. Putin and Zelenskyy ordered a halt in fighting while the envoys traveled between the two countries, according to the report. Russia resumed strikes on Kyiv on Tuesday morning, however, and at least two people were killed.

Asked what was preventing an accord, Trump pointed to the personal hostility between the Russian and Ukrainian leaders. That explanation is only one view of the impasse. The conflict also involves the unresolved question of how to end active fighting while ensuring Ukraine is protected from further attacks, a concern Zelenskyy explicitly raised after the Kyiv talks.

The diplomacy is unfolding against a wider backdrop of anxiety in Europe. Lithuania, which borders Belarus, a Russian-aligned neighbor, has been training civilians for the possibility of Russian aggression. That preparation underscores how the consequences of the war are being considered well beyond Ukraine, even as Washington pursues direct engagement with both Moscow and Kyiv.

Trump had previously promised to bring the war to an end on his first day back in office, but later acknowledged publicly that the task was harder than he had expected. He characterized the earlier pledge as figurative or exaggerated. As he approaches 20 months in office, the latest call and the envoys’ meetings place attention on whether the separate contacts can lead to a meeting, a negotiated plan, or another pause in the fighting.

Source: CBS World