On Tuesday, US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke for over two hours. This was their first public conversation since Saudi Arabia announced a ceasefire proposal for the Russia-Ukraine war. The leaders agreed to halt attacks on energy infrastructure in Ukraine for 30 days. They also decided to launch discussions for a full ceasefire.
The White House described the call as productive. The Kremlin acknowledged the agreement but added conditions. Moscow said that foreign aid to Ukraine should be paused for any ceasefire to hold.
Key Details of the Call
The call began at 10 a.m. EDT. Dan Scavino, Deputy Chief of Staff to Trump, posted updates on X. “The call is going well,” he wrote. Forty minutes later, he confirmed the conversation was still ongoing. The final duration was close to two hours.
Potential ceasefire
Putin and Trump discussed Trump’s idea of a 30-day ceasefire, with the Russian side outlining multiple issues to be resolved before its implementation, the Kremlin press service said in a statement after the call. Namely, Putin outlined the need to establish a mechanism to properly monitor a potential ceasefire, as well as stop forced mobilization and rearmament in Ukraine.
Infrastructure strikes pause
Trump proposed that Moscow and Kiev mutually halt strikes on energy infrastructure facilities for 30 days. Putin backed the idea, immediately giving the Russian military the corresponding order.
Prisoner swap
On Wednesday, a prisoner swap with Ukraine was scheduled, and the Russian president informed the US about it. It is expected to exchange 175 prisoners of war each. In addition, Moscow will return 23 critically wounded Ukrainian military men to demonstrate its goodwill, the press service noted.
Need for lasting peace
Putin and Trump repeated their commitment to achieving a “lasting peace” rather than a temporary solution for the Ukraine conflict. Moscow regards the need to “eliminate the root causes of the crisis,” as well as meet “Russia’s legitimate interests in the area of security” and “the complete cessation of foreign military aid and the provision of intelligence information to Kiev,” as key elements required to achieve the goal, the Kremlin press service noted.
Bilateral cooperation between the US and Russia
Ties between Russia and the US were also discussed, with both agreeing to work on mutually beneficial projects. Washington and Moscow have been considering a “broad spectrum of areas where our two countries may establish cooperation,” the Kremlin press service stated.
In addition to these, Trump and Putin discussed West Asia. They agreed that Iran must never be in a position to destroy Israel. The phone call between the two leaders pointed that West Asia could be an area of future cooperation between Russia and the US.
Ukraine Remains Skeptical
Zelensky criticized the Russian stance. He argued that Moscow is trying to buy time. Ukraine vowed to continue operations in Russia’s Kursk region, despite recent losses. Meanwhile, Russia claimed it had repelled a Ukrainian offensive into Belgorod.
Western analysts say Putin’s strategy is clear. He wants Trump to accept a deal that benefits Russia but is unacceptable to Ukraine. H.R. McMaster, former NSA under Trump, warned that Moscow’s goal is to turn the US against Ukraine and Europe.
Diplomatic Build-Up
This call followed high-level diplomatic efforts. Last week, Trump’s West Asia envoy, Steve Witkoff, met Putin in Moscow. Their talks lasted nearly four hours. At the same time, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and National Security Advisor Mike Waltz met Ukrainian officials in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Trump first announced his call with Putin on Sunday. He was returning from Mar-a-Lago at the time. His administration has maintained that the Russia-Ukraine war would not have happened under his leadership.
The ceasefire plan now depends on Ukraine’s response. If Kyiv refuses, Russia may resume full-scale attacks. The demand to halt Western aid remains a major sticking point. Some analysts believe this could be a Russian ploy to weaken Ukraine’s defences.
The coming weeks will determine whether this agreement holds. Ukraine, the US, and Europe remain cautious. For now, the war continues, even as diplomatic efforts intensify. However, one thing is clear: Russia and the US are going to cooperate in order to fulfil their own pressing national interest. It can also be a lesson to smaller and weaker nations not to always converge their national interest with a great power against a great power; otherwise, the smaller power may face losses like Ukraine.
