Trump says he discussed a Ukraine ceasefire with Putin
US President Donald Trump said that he discussed a possible ceasefire in the 4-year war in Ukraine in his phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The Kremlin has announced that the two leaders will meet during World War II next month. He spoke after reporting that he was discussing a temporary ceasefire in Ukraine to mark the anniversary of the end of World War II.
“We had a good conversation, I’ve known him a long time,” Trump said.
The two leaders had their last publicly announced phone call on March 9.
Speaking to reporters as he met with astronauts from the Artemis II mission in the Oval Office, Trump said he offered “some ceasefire” in the war in Ukraine in his phone call with the Russian leader.
“And I think he can do that,” Trump said, then asked reporters whether Putin had declared a ceasefire.
Putin declared a similar ceasefire that lasted three days last year, but an agreement could not be reached with Ukraine on this issue.
Trump said Putin offered help with Iran’s enriched uranium, a major obstacle to a deal to end the Iran war, but “I said I would prefer you to be involved in ending the war with Ukraine.”
“I said I want to end your war before you help me,” Trump said.
Kremlin deputy Yuri Ushakov did not say what proposals Putin had made regarding Iran.
Russia had previously proposed removing enriched uranium from the country.
Ushakov told reporters that Putin proposed a temporary ceasefire in Ukraine for celebrations to be held on May 9 to commemorate the Soviet Union’s role in the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II.
He said Trump responded positively.
Ushakov added that Trump said in a friendly and business meeting that lasted more than an hour and a half that he believed an agreement to end the Ukraine war was close.
The regional governor said that the talks took place after three women were killed in Ukraine’s attack on Russia’s border region of Belgorod.
Vyacheslav Gladkov wrote on Telegram that eight more people were injured.
It was stated that a bus was hit in the village of Voznesenovka in Shebekinsky district, close to the Ukrainian border.
Ukraine also hit an oil pumping station located 1,500 kilometers inside Russia, near the Ural Mountains, with drones overnight, and President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said his country would continue to increase the strike range of its forces.
Zelenskiy stated in a post published on
Russia also published a video of smoke rising into the sky from what it described as an attack by Ukraine.
Zelenskiy did not identify the target, but Ukraine’s SBU security service later said Ukrainian drones hit a Russian oil pumping station near the city of Perm overnight.
The Russian governor there reported a fire at an industrial facility.
“The straight line distance is over 1500 km. We will continue to expand these ranges,” Zelenskiy said. he added.
with DPA
