Putin terms call with Trump ‘very productive’, says Russia ‘ready to engage’ with Ukraine
US President Donald Trump also said that the tone and spirit of his conversation with Vladimir Putin was "excellent".
Russian President Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart Donald Trump held a more than two-hour-long telephone call over the Ukraine war, which the former described as a "very productive exchange".
The call comes against the backdrop of direct negotiations that started between Russian and Ukrainian delegations last week, but in the absence of both Trump and Putin.
Speaking to reporters after his phone call with the US President, Putin said, "This conversation has effectively taken place and lasted more than two hours. I would like to emphasise that it was both substantive and quite candid. Overall, I believe it was a very productive exchange."
He expressed gratitude towards the US for facilitating the resumption of talks between Russia and Ukraine.
The Russian president said that Trump "shared his position on the cessation of hostilities and the prospects for a ceasefire".
"For my part, I noted that Russia also supports a peaceful settlement of the Ukraine crisis as well. What we need now is to identify the most effective ways towards achieving peace," Putin was quoted by the news agency ANI.
Putin told Trump that Russia would propose and, in fact, "is ready to engage with the Ukrainian side on drafting a memorandum" for the potential future peace deal.
Referring to the discussion between the two sides in Istanbul, Putin said it gives reason to believe that "we are on the right track overall".
"I would like to reiterate that the conversation was highly constructive, and I assess it positively," he added.
The peace agreement would also include outlining a range of provisions like the settlement principles, the timeframe for the possible deal, and a potential temporary ceasefire.
He also emphasized that it was time for the Ukrainian side "to show their firm commitment to peace and to forge a compromise that would be acceptable to all parties".
Talks towards ‘END to the War’
Meanwhile, after his call with Putin, US President Donald Trump said that Russia and Ukraine "will immediately start negotiations toward a Ceasefire and, more importantly, an END to the War".
In a post on his Truth Social network, Trump said that the conditions of the deal will be negotiated between the two parties only as only they would be best aware of all the details.
The US President described the tone and spirit of his conversation with Putin as "excellent".
In addition, Trump also spoke about the US trade with Russia. He claimed that Moscow "wants to do large-scale TRADE with the United States when this catastrophic 'bloodbath" is over, and I agree. There is a tremendous opportunity for Russia to create massive amounts of jobs and wealth. Its potential is UNLIMITED".
(with inputs from agencies)
