Trump Pushes for Ukraine Ceasefire in Putin Call

Russian President, Vladimir Putin (left), US President, Donald Trump (right)

Zim Now Writer

For President Donald Trump, Monday’s two-hour phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin was a pivotal moment — a direct attempt to gauge Putin’s willingness to end the war in Ukraine.

“I said, ‘When are we going to end this, Vladimir? When are we going to end this bloodshed, this bloodbath?’” Trump later told reporters, describing the call from the Oval Office as serious and urgent.

In contrast, Putin appeared to treat the conversation as routine, placing the call from a school for gifted children in Sochi, while on a tour of the facility. The Russian leader made no apparent effort to clear his schedule, signaling a lower level of urgency.

After the call, the divergence in tone between the two leaders was stark. Trump characterized the exchange as “very well” and said both sides had agreed to “immediately start negotiations toward a ceasefire.” Putin, however, remained firm on Russia’s longstanding demands, and signaled no imminent shift in position.

“If I thought President Putin didn’t want to get this over with, I wouldn’t even be talking about it. I think he’s had enough,” Trump said. He also noted the positive “tone and spirit” of the call, though no concrete ceasefire agreement was reached.

Putin called the exchange “meaningful and frank” — diplomatic language that typically suggests little substantive progress. Despite Ukraine’s offer to enter a 30-day ceasefire immediately, Russia has yet to respond in kind. Ongoing Russian drone and missile attacks, including recent strikes on Kyiv, further undermined hopes of a breakthrough.

Trump acknowledged the difficulty of the situation but appeared optimistic. “Very big egos involved,” he said. “But I think something’s going to happen. And if it doesn’t, I just back away and they’re going to have to keep going.”

Despite earlier suggestions that he might personally broker peace, Trump now says that negotiating ceasefire terms will be left to Ukraine and Russia directly. “The conditions for that will be negotiated between the two parties, as it can only be, because they know details that nobody else would be aware of,” he wrote on Truth Social.

While Trump spoke to several European leaders before and after his call with Putin — including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy — no specific summit was scheduled. Zelenskyy confirmed he spoke with Trump twice on Monday and welcomed international proposals for hosting future talks, including by the Vatican, Switzerland, or Turkey.

Ahead of the call, Trump had discussed potential new sanctions on Russia with European leaders. But after the conversation, he emphasized economic opportunities instead, suggesting that post-war trade could benefit both Russia and Ukraine. “Russia wants to do largescale TRADE with the United States when this catastrophic ‘bloodbath’ is over, and I agree,” Trump posted online.

European leaders, however, remain cautious. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer confirmed that sanctions would remain on the table if Russia failed to engage seriously. Zelenskyy said the U.S. should still be “pressured” to pursue stronger action against Moscow.

For now, while negotiations may begin, there remains no timeline and little indication that Putin’s position has shifted. Trump’s role, once touted as the key to peace, now appears more observational — unless Moscow moves.