US President Donald Trump has held out the prospect of immediate negotiations in the Vatican on a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine. Trump wrote on Truth Social after a phone call with Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin that the talks should begin immediately – and that the Pope had offered the Vatican as a venue for negotiations. Earlier, Putin had agreed to work out a “memorandum” with Kiev to prepare a “possible future peace agreement”. A timetable for a ceasefire in Ukraine was not discussed during the phone call between the two.
Putin: “Informative and useful conversation”
Trump, however, has emphasized his interest in quick agreements, it said. Russia obviously sees it differently. In general, Putin expressed satisfaction after a more than two-hour conversation with US President Donald Trump about the Ukraine war, according to Russian state media. At a press conference, Putin described the two-hour phone call with Trump as “useful” and “very honest”. Ukraine and Russia must now show “a maximum will for peace” and “find compromises that satisfy all sides”.
Russia will make a corresponding proposal for a memorandum, Putin said on Monday after a telephone conversation with Trump. This could include “the principles of a settlement, the timeframe of a possible peace agreement and so on, including a possible ceasefire, provided that appropriate agreements are reached,” the Russian leader said.Verwandtes Video: Ukraine-Krieg: Trump telefoniert mit Putin (Puls 4)
Trump is in favor of a peaceful solution to the Ukraine conflict. A ceasefire is possible once the memorandum has been drawn up. US broadcasters also confirmed that the phone call was over, but initially did not report anything about how the US side interpreted the phone call. Shortly afterwards, however, Trump spoke out on his Truth Social account.
Trump: “The tone and spirit of the conversation were excellent”
He believes that the phone call went well. “The tone and spirit of the conversation were excellent. If that were not the case, I would say it now rather than later,” writes the US president, who also announces: “Russia and Ukraine will immediately start negotiations on a ceasefire and, more importantly, on an end to the war. The conditions for this will be negotiated between the two parties.”
He also told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, French President Emmanuel Macron, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Finnish President Alexander Stubb directly after the phone call. Pope Leo XIV had offered the Vatican as the venue for negotiations.
JD Vance: “A bit of a dead end”
Shortly before his boss’s conversation with Putin, US Vice President JD Vance made it clear once again that the US was slowly running out of patience. “We realize that we are a bit of a dead end here,” Vance told reporters on board Air Force Two after a visit to Rome. If Russia is not willing to move, the US government will have to say at some point: “This is not our war”.
However, the US has always made it clear that there are many economic benefits if relations between Russia and the rest of the world improve, Vance said. However, Russia will not get these benefits if it continues to kill “many innocent people”. Trump had said before the phone call that he also wanted to talk to the Kremlin chief about trade issues.
Pressure on Russia increased
According to Germany, the Europeans are determined to increase pressure on Moscow after the presidents’ phone call. Trump had informed Germany’s Chancellor Friedrich Merz as well as the presidents of Finland, France and Ukraine as well as the Italian Prime Minister and the EU Commission President of his phone call, it was said from Berlin. It had been agreed to “closely coordinate” the agreed negotiation process.
They want to “closely accompany” Ukraine on the way to a ceasefire. Then the statement says: “The European participants announced that they would increase pressure on the Russian side through sanctions.”
EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen thanked Trump “for his tireless efforts to achieve a ceasefire in Ukraine”. In an article on X, she also wrote that it was important that the US remained engaged.
Ukraine has been defending itself against the invasion for more than three years with Western support, but has recently come under pressure – also because the US government under Trump has significantly reduced its military aid to Kyiv. Under Trump’s predecessor Joe Biden, there had been largely radio silence between Washington and Moscow for a long time. The Republican is now increasingly looking for a direct line again. Since taking office in January, Trump has already spoken to Putin on the phone twice – in mid-February and most recently in mid-March.
