Trump says Russia, Ukraine to 'immediately start' negotiations on ceasefire

Donald Trump said his phone call with Russia's Vladimir Putin "went very well," adding that Moscow and Kyiv "will immediately start negotiations".

Updated on: May 20, 2025, 07:06:05 IST

By HT News Desk

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US President Donald Trump said his Monday phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin "went very well," adding that Moscow and Kyiv "will immediately start negotiations" aimed at reaching a ceasefire and ending the war.

Putin said he and Donald Trump agreed that Moscow would present a "memorandum"—developed in coordination with Ukraine—outlining key positions for a "possible" future peace deal. (AFP)

Posting on Truth Social, Trump noted that the Vatican "as represented by the Pope, has stated that it would be very interested in hosting the negotiations." He added, "Let the process begin!"

Meanwhile, Putin also said he and Donald Trump agreed that Moscow would present a "memorandum"—developed in coordination with Ukraine—outlining key positions for a "possible" future peace deal.

Putin made the remarks after a phone conversation with Trump that, according to him, lasted over two hours, according to AFP.

Referring to recent talks in Istanbul between Russian and Ukrainian negotiators, Putin said they had set the world on the "right path" toward ending the war, which began with Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022.

"Russia will propose and will be ready to work with the Ukrainian side on a memorandum on a possible future peace agreement defining a range of positions," he told Russian media following his call with Trump.

He added that the document might include "the principles of settlement, the timing of a possible peace agreement and so on -- including a possible ceasefire for a certain period of time if appropriate agreements are reached."

Putin did not provide any further details about the proposed "memorandum."

Putin thanks Trump

Ukraine, along with its Western allies, has been urging Russia to agree to a ceasefire—something Moscow has so far resisted.

Putin expressed gratitude to Trump for facilitating the first face-to-face talks between Kyiv and Moscow in over three years.

"Contact between participants of the meeting and negotiations in Istanbul -- this contact was restarted and it gives us the basis to think that on the whole we are on the right path," Putin said.

He said that both sides should make "maximum" efforts to reach "compromises that would suit all sides."

Putin also described his phone conversation with Trump as "very useful."

(With AFP inputs)

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