Donald Trump said on Monday that Russia and Ukraine will begin peace talks “immediately”, although in separate comments, Vladimir Putin did not clarify any substantial changes in the Kremlin’s position.
During a two-hour call between the United States and the Russian president, Trump said: "Russia and Ukraine will immediately start negotiating a ceasefire, and more importantly, end the war."
Trump, in comments indicating that Washington may step down, said the Vatican would be “very interested” in hosting the talks, adding: “Let the process begin!”
The readings of Putin's dialogue with the US president are more temporary. The Russian president said he had conducted a memorandum with Kyiv to build future negotiations that could include a possible ceasefire “at some time”.
Putin told state media reporters that the conversation with Trump was “very frank and therefore very useful.” But he did not declare any major change in Russia's position in the Ukrainian war.
"We agree with the U.S. president, and Russia will make recommendations and prepare to cooperate with Ukraine in preparation for a memorandum of possible future peace agreements," Putin said.
Trump spoke to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on another call earlier in the day.
The Russian president's comment came a week after he refused to participate in peace talks with Turkey-Ukraine, causing Trump to say "nothing will happen" until he met the Russian president.
Trump expressed his willingness to meet with Putin and attend the talks in Turkey.
The Russian president said on Monday that the memorandum would include “the principle on which the peace agreement will be based, the timing of possible peace agreements” and “there may be a ceasefire within a certain time if certain agreements are reached.”
But Putin added that Russia's main goal is to "remove the root cause of this crisis", which shows that his key demands remain the same.
Diplomatic efforts to end conflict have accelerated in recent weeks, with Russia and Ukraine holding direct talks in Istanbul on Friday, the first time since the beginning of the Three Years’ War.
Trump vowed to end the war on the first day of his second term, but peace proved elusive and the two sides remained far apart.
In the European capital, leaders feared Trump would reach a deal with Putin, the biggest demand for him and sold Ukraine's interests to end the battle.