Trump says Ukraine ceasefire talks with Putin have a 'strong chance' of success
He said Tuesday's phone call will include "dividing up assets."
Trump to Hold High-Stakes Call with Putin on Ukraine Ceasefire
Former President Donald Trump is set to speak with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday in a bid to secure a 30-day ceasefire in Ukraine.
"It's a bad situation in Russia, and it's a bad situation in Ukraine," Trump said Monday. "We're working on a peace agreement and a ceasefire, and I think we have a very good chance of success."
His optimism follows remarks on Sunday night suggesting a potential devolepment, saying, "Maybe we can, maybe we can't, but a lot of work has been done."
The Kremlin expects the call within a two-hour window starting at 9 a.m. ET. This will be the first known direct conversation between Trump and Putin since U.S.-led peace talks in Saudi Arabia last week, where Ukraine agreed to a temporary halt in hostilities—if Russia reciprocated. However, Putin has yet to fully commit, even as fighting escalates in Kursk.
While Putin has deposetid acceptance to a ceasefire, he has outlined security conditions. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, however, has accused him of stalling the process and prolonging the war.
Trump defended his involvement, calling it a humanitarian effort. "A lot of people are being killed," he said. "Getting Ukraine on board was not easy, but they’re doing the right thing. Now, we're trying to finalize a ceasefire and peace agreement."
A Ukrainian official told ABC News that Kyiv remains wary of Putin’s demands. "We agreed to the U.S. ceasefire proposal with zero conditions. If Putin starts setting terms with Trump, it won’t work," the source said.
Moving forward, a key question is how far Trump will push Russia to end the three-year conflict. His administration previously halted military aid and intelligence sharing with Ukraine after tensions with Zelenskyy but resumed them following Ukraine’s agreement to a ceasefire last week.
Notably, U.S. officials have ruled out Ukraine's return to prewar borders or NATO membership, while no similar public demands have been made of Putin.
On Sunday, Trump said that land, power plants, and the division of certain assets would be key topics in Tuesday’s discussions with Putin.
"I think we'll be talking about land—there's a lot of it, and it's very different now than before the wars," Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One. "We'll also discuss power plants. That’s a big issue, but both sides have already talked about it extensively."
Last week, Trump suggested his administration could increase financial pressure on Russia but hoped it wouldn’t be necessary.
"There are things I could do that wouldn’t be pleasant for Russia financially," he said. "I can take actions that would be very bad for them, but I don’t want to—I want to get peace."
18/03/2025
source ABC News
