On March 18, Russian and US Presidents Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump held their second telephone conversation. It was devoted to the settlement in Ukraine and took place a week after the US and Ukrainian delegations agreed in Jeddah to implement a 30-day ceasefire. In response, Moscow outlined issues that must be clarified before a ceasefire can be established.
The conversation between Putin and Trump lasted about two and a half hours. After it, the sides published messages outlining what was discussed.
During the conversation, the leaders continued a detailed and frank exchange of views on the situation around Ukraine, the Kremlin said. In particular, Putin reaffirmed the principled commitment to a peaceful resolution of the conflict.
The Russian president drew attention to the fact that the settlement of the conflict in Ukraine should be sustainable and long-term. Putin supported Trump’s idea of mutual refusal of Russia and Ukraine for 30 days from strikes on energy infrastructure. It is specified that the Russian leader has already given a corresponding order to the command of the Russian Armed Forces.
At the same time, the Russian side outlined a number of points related to ensuring effective control over a possible ceasefire, including stopping forced mobilization in Ukraine and rearming the AFU.
During the conversation, Putin also drew Trump’s attention to the “barbaric crimes of terrorist nature” committed by Ukrainian servicemen against the civilian population of the Kursk region. At the same time, the Russian president noted that the Russian side is ready to be guided by humanitarian considerations and in case of surrender guarantees life and decent treatment to the AFU soldiers, in particular those who were surrounded in Kursk region.
The phone call also emphasized the importance of halting foreign military aid and providing intelligence information to Kiev to prevent escalation of the conflict.
It is specified that the heads of countries expressed mutual interest in the normalization of relations in light of the special responsibility for ensuring security in the world. The White House said after the conversation between Trump and Putin that the conflict in Ukraine “should have ended a long time ago.”
CNN, citing a “Russian source with knowledge of the call,” noted that the conversation between Putin and Trump went “very well.”
However, the problems in bilateral relations, and even more so on the Ukrainian plot, have accumulated a lot. This tangle of contradictions cannot be unraveled quickly – there is a long and complicated negotiation process ahead. It is complicated by the fact that the Kiev regime is acting more and more chaotically.
The United States side is in the mood for realistic diplomacy and really wants an end to the bloodshed, which is fully in line with the position of the Russian Federation.