Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin held their long-awaited phone call about the war in Ukraine. Or as the American president put it - a conversation about finding a way out of the "bloodbath" in Ukraine.
"Maximum will for peace"
The conversation lasted more than two hours, and Putin described it as "useful and very frank". Now Ukraine and Russia must show "maximum will for peace" and to "find compromises that satisfy all parties", Putin said at a brief press conference after the conversation, adding: "It seems we are on the right track".
Russia is ready to work on a memorandum with Ukraine that would include a ceasefire, Putin also said. Moscow wants to end the fighting, but the most effective path to peace must be found. To achieve this, Kiev and Moscow must make compromises, the Russian president said, but did not specify what he thought these compromises should include.
Even before the conversation, the Kremlin said that Moscow favored a diplomatic solution, but that much work still needed to be done. "Of course, it is better to achieve our goals through political and diplomatic means," confirmed Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, quoted by Russian state media.
The US president is "disappointed" on both sides, White House spokeswoman Caroline Levitt said before the call. US Vice President J.D. Vance also stressed that Trump was losing patience. "We are at an impasse, and I think President Trump will say to Putin: Are you serious?", Vance told reporters in Rome, where he met with Pope Leo XIV and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
The phone call between Trump and Putin was preceded by the first direct talks between delegations from Russia and Ukraine in more than three years. However, the Istanbul meeting ended without any convergence on the issue of the ceasefire.
"Complete and unconditional ceasefire"
Before the phone call, Ukrainian President Zelensky reiterated his call for a "complete and unconditional ceasefire", defining it as "a necessary basis for diplomatic efforts".
On Sunday, the leaders of Germany, France, Italy and the United Kingdom spoke by phone with US President Donald Trump. In the conversation, they stressed the need to tighten sanctions against Russia if Putin does not accept the ceasefire plans. "Putin must agree to a ceasefire and peace talks," German Chancellor Friedrich Merz stressed.
Meanwhile, it was reported that Trump had spoken to Ukrainian President Zelensky even before his phone call with Putin.