Putin after call with Trump: Ceasefire possible after "agreements"
The conversation between US President Donald Trump and Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin has ended. According to Putin, it lasted more than two hours.
Source: Kremlin-aligned Russian news outlets TASS and RBC, citing Putin
Details: Putin claimed that Russia is ready to work on a memorandum with Ukraine which would include a possible ceasefire for a certain period of time. The Russian ruler also said that contact has been "resumed" between the negotiating groups that met in Istanbul.
Putin said that during the conversation, he had listened to Trump’s position on "ceasing the hostilities" in Ukraine.
Meanwhile, Putin claimed that it was "necessary to develop the most effective ways of moving towards peace" and that Russia was ready to work on some sort of "memorandum" with Ukraine concerning the ceasefire.
Putin described his conversation with Trump as "constructive", adding that both sides must "find compromises that would satisfy all parties". He also said that for Russia, the main goal is to eliminate the causes of the "crisis", as he called it.
Update: Putin’s foreign policy advisor, Yuri Ushakov, has added that Putin and Trump discussed a prisoner exchange involving nine people from each side. They also discussed bilateral relations between the two countries.
However, they did not discuss the timing or the venue of the meeting. Trump apparently told Putin that he can call him at any time.
Ushakov also claimed that the two leaders "did not want to end the conversation or to put the phone down".
Background:
- On 17 May, Trump announced that he would hold a phone call with Putin on Monday 19 May, followed by conversations with Zelenskyy and NATO allies.
- On 19 May, US President Donald Trump began negotiations on a ceasefire in Ukraine by holding a phone call with Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
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