Washington /Moscow /Kyiv, May 19 – Former U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday that Russia and Ukraine will immediately begin negotiations for a ceasefire following a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin, though the Kremlin cautioned that the process would take time and declined to commit to a firm timeline.
Trump, who relayed details of the call to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and leaders of several European nations in a group discussion, said that talks were set to begin “toward a Ceasefire and, more importantly, an END to the War.” He later told reporters at the White House that “some progress is being made.”
Putin welcomed the resumption of talks and thanked Trump for supporting direct contact between Moscow and Kyiv, after initial face-to-face negotiations last week in Turkey – the first since March 2022. “We have agreed with the president of the United States that Russia will propose and is ready to work with the Ukrainian side on a memorandum on a possible future peace accord,” Putin told reporters in Sochi.
However, Kremlin officials made clear that the path to peace would be complex. “There are no deadlines and there cannot be any,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, citing ongoing challenges in drafting a unified text for a ceasefire memorandum. “The devil is in the details.”
European leaders responded to Trump’s briefing by pledging new sanctions on Russia, with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz stating on social media that Europe would “increase pressure” on Moscow. Trump, however, signaled a different approach, resisting immediate sanctions and saying he wanted to give negotiations a chance.
“Well because I think there’s a chance of getting something done, and if you do that, you can also make it much worse,” Trump told reporters. “But there could be a time where that’s going to happen.” He added that there were “some big egos involved” and warned, “I’m just going to back away” if talks fail to deliver results. “This is not my war,” he said.
Trump and Putin also discussed a proposed prisoner exchange involving nine Russians and nine Americans, according to Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov, who added that Trump described future U.S.-Russia relations as “impressive.”
Ukrainian President Zelenskiy reiterated Kyiv’s willingness to engage in direct negotiations with Moscow “in any format that brings results,” suggesting a high-level summit involving Ukraine, Russia, the U.S., European Union members, and the United Kingdom. Possible venues for such talks include Turkey, the Vatican, or Switzerland.
Trump said Pope Leo had expressed interest in hosting the talks, though the Vatican has not confirmed any involvement. The Kremlin welcomed the Vatican’s proposal but noted no decision has been made on a meeting location.
Some European officials expressed frustration with Trump’s approach. One person familiar with the group call said participants were “shocked” by his reluctance to increase pressure on Moscow.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen described the call as “good” and stressed the importance of continued U.S. engagement.
Despite diplomatic activity, analysts warned that Russia is using negotiations to buy time while continuing military operations. Former Swedish Prime Minister Carl Bildt called the developments “undoubtedly a win for Putin,” noting that the Russian leader “deflected the call for an immediate ceasefire and instead can continue military operations at the same time as he puts pressure on at the negotiating table.”
Putin, whose forces control roughly 20% of Ukrainian territory, reiterated that any future peace deal must include the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from four regions claimed by Russia. He said a potential peace memorandum would outline “the principles of settlement” and “timing of a possible peace agreement.”
“The main thing for us is to eliminate the root causes of this crisis,” Putin said. “We just need to determine the most effective ways to move towards peace.”
