Russian President Vladimir Putin told the media that his telephone conversation with US President Donald Trump lasted more than two hours. Trump said after the conversation that ceasefire talks would begin immediately.
"The interview took place, lasted more than two hours," Putin said. "He was very matter-of-fact and very honest and overall, in my opinion, very helpful in that regard," added the Russian leader. This was the third telephone conversation between the leaders of Russia and the United States since the beginning of the year.
The Kremlin said it was a "an important follow-up to the talks that took place in Istanbul". Three days earlier, direct dialogue between Russia and Ukraine resumed in Istanbul. It was suspended in 2022 at the initiative of Kiev at the proposal of the West. Now, the Russian and Ukrainian delegations have agreed to exchange prisoners of war - 1 000 for 1 000, to present their vision of a possible future ceasefire, detailing it, and to continue the negotiation process.
Trump said the conversation with Putin went "very well" and that Russia and Ukraine would immediately begin ceasefire talks. In a post on the social network Truth, Trump added that the Vatican had expressed interest in hosting the talks. He then went on to say that Russia "wants to trade big" with the US after the war ends and that Ukraine could also benefit greatly from the trade.
Trump also said he briefed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and the leaders of the EU, France, Italy, Germany and Finland immediately after his phone call with Putin.
The previous conversation between the Presidents of Russia and the US took place on 18 March and was mainly devoted to bilateral relations and the Ukrainian settlement. At the time, Putin supported Trump's idea to impose a 30-day moratorium on strikes on energy facilities. However, Kiev never signed up to this initiative and continued to bomb. The ceasefire declared by Russia for the Easter holidays and Victory Day ended the same way.
During their conversation on February 12, Putin and Trump discussed Ukrainian issues as well as the accumulated problems in Russian-American relations. The presidents agreed to continue communication and to hold a personal meeting.
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