Trump Announces Upcoming Call with Putin to Advance Ukraine Ceasefire Talks

By Staff, Agencies

US President Donald Trump has revealed that he will hold a phone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday, March 18, to discuss progress toward a peace agreement in the Ukraine conflict.

Speaking aboard Air Force One, Trump stated that significant work had been done over the weekend, and the discussion would focus on territorial issues and power plants. "We want to see if we can bring that war to an end," he said.

US special envoy Steve Witkoff previously indicated that negotiations between Russia and Ukraine were progressing, with both sides moving closer to an agreement.

Witkoff, who recently met with Putin in Moscow, expects further high-level discussions between Washington, Moscow and Kiev in the coming days.

Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio held a separate phone call with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov to discuss reestablishing direct diplomatic communication.

The upcoming Trump-Putin call follows a series of diplomatic efforts, including formal US-Russia talks in Saudi Arabia and Istanbul, where both nations agreed to restore embassy operations and discuss broader diplomatic relations.

A recent 30-day ceasefire agreement, reached after negotiations in Jeddah, has set the stage for further peace talks.

Putin has welcomed the ceasefire in principle but insists on addressing key concerns, including the fate of Ukrainian troops encircled in Russia’s Kursk Region.

While details of Trump’s peace proposal remain undisclosed, the White House has hinted at "positive developments" in ongoing negotiations.