Plans are in motion for President Trump to have a discussion with President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia on Tuesday regarding the conflict in Ukraine.
According to him, conversations have already touched on how “some assets” might be divided between the parties, while he remained hopeful that Moscow would consider agreeing to a proposal for a cease-fire.
While speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on Sunday evening, Mr. Trump explained that efforts were focused on bringing the war to a close. “We are hoping to see if there’s a way to stop the war,” he said. “There’s a chance we can, maybe we won’t, but the possibility looks strong to me.”
According to Mr. Trump, certain steps forward had been made during the weekend in terms of negotiation. He also said talks had been taking place involving possible compromises related to land areas and energy infrastructure.
He stated that land was one of the biggest topics being reviewed. “We’re going to discuss the land situation. It’s a huge amount of territory. Things look a lot different now compared to the period before the war began,” he mentioned.
Mr. Trump added that power plants would also be part of the negotiation points. “That’s one of the difficult parts of the conversation. But both sides, Ukraine and Russia, have already gone over many of these topics in detail,” he explained.
Kremlin Responds as Talks Gain Momentum
On Monday, officials from the Kremlin confirmed that preparations had started for the expected phone call between Mr. Trump and Mr. Putin. However, they did not provide any information about what topics would be on the agenda for the call.
Steve Witkoff, who is currently the U.S. special envoy for the Middle East and has also taken part in talks related to peace efforts, appeared on CNN on Sunday. He shared that his meeting with Mr. Putin last week lasted between three and four hours and had a positive tone.
He declined to go into the details but said that the gap between both governments had been reduced. A cease-fire plan backed by the U.S. had already received approval from Ukraine.
President Volodymyr Zelensky claimed that Mr. Putin was purposely trying to delay final talks while using military force to place Ukraine in a weaker position before the temporary truce could be finalized.
On Friday, Mr. Putin had asked that Ukrainian soldiers located in Russia’s Kursk region surrender to Russian forces. But by the time the weekend came, intense battles had pushed Ukrainian troops to withdraw from nearly all of the area. What remains under Ukrainian control is now only a small portion of that region.
