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President Donald Trump said he will speak with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday, aiming to end the three-year war in Ukraine and negotiate terms for a potential ceasefire.
“A lot of work’s been done over the weekend. We want to see if we can bring that war to an end,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One on Sunday evening. “Maybe we can. Maybe we can’t, but I think we have a very good chance.”
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov confirmed the planned call but did not provide additional details.
A Ceasefire Deal in the Works?
The call follows recent U.S.-Ukraine talks in Saudi Arabia, where a 30-day ceasefire proposal was introduced. While Putin expressed support ‘in principle’, he did not commit to the deal, saying additional discussions were necessary.
“The idea itself is correct, and we certainly support it,” Putin said last week at a Moscow press conference. “But there are issues that we need to discuss … with our American colleagues and partners.”
Trump’s Envoy: ‘A Lot of Progress’ with Putin
Last week, Trump’s special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, met with Putin, calling the discussions “productive.”
“We talked about a lot of specifics, and I point to the large gap that existed between Ukraine and Russia prior to the inauguration and where we are today,” Witkoff said on CBS’ Face the Nation Sunday. “We have narrowed the issuesbetween both of these parties, making a lot of progress, in my opinion.”
Witkoff said he expects Trump and Putin’s direct conversation to be constructive.
“I think this is going to be a very positive and productive call between the two presidents,” he told Margaret Brennan.
Trump: ‘We’re Already Talking About Dividing Up Certain Assets’
Trump hinted that the call would include discussions on territorial control and infrastructure.
“We’ll be talking about land. We’ll be talking about power plants. That’s a big question,” Trump said. “But I think we have a lot of it already discussed, very much by both sides, Ukraine and Russia. We’re already talking about that, dividing up certain assets, and they’ve been working on that.”
What’s at Stake? Ukraine’s Occupied Territories
Since launching its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Russia has illegally annexed four regions:
Donetsk
Luhansk
Kherson
Zaporizhzhia (home to Europe’s largest nuclear power plant)
Russia also annexed Crimea in 2014. While Moscow controls some of these regions, it does not fully occupy them.
Unanswered Questions
- Will Ukraine agree to territorial concessions?
- How will the U.S. balance Ukraine’s sovereignty with peace negotiations?
- Will Putin’s demands extend beyond the four annexed regions?
- Does Trump have the authority to negotiate land deals without Ukraine’s direct approval?
As Trump prepares for his conversation with Putin, the future of the war—and Ukraine’s territorial integrity—hangs in the balance.
