Washington DC (KAAB TV) – President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin held a phone conversation lasting nearly two hours, focusing on the ongoing war in Ukraine.
During the call, Trump urged Putin to consider ending the war, but the Russian leader rejected an immediate ceasefire. While both sides agreed to pursue a full ceasefire, Putin only consented to a temporary 30-day halt on attacks targeting Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.
Putin also declined to sign a long-term ceasefire agreement recently negotiated by Trump’s team with Ukraine after a meeting in Saudi Arabia. Instead, he assured Trump that Russia would cease targeting Ukrainian energy facilities during this period.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky reported that his country’s infrastructure had been hit by a significant Russian drone strike. He emphasized that Putin had firmly rejected a complete ceasefire, despite the phone discussion with Trump.
Earlier, Putin informed President Trump that a full ceasefire could only be viable if Ukraine’s allies ceased military support for Kyiv.
Trump’s special envoy for the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, confirmed that additional discussions aimed at establishing a ceasefire would take place on Sunday in Saudi Arabia.