US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin are scheduled to hold a phone call on Tuesday as part of the latest effort to end the war in Ukraine. The announcement came from Trump, who told reporters on Monday that significant progress had been made over the weekend regarding a potential 30-day ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia.
‘We want to see if we can bring that war to an end,’ Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One during a flight back to Washington from Florida. ‘Maybe we can, maybe we can’t, but I think we have a very good chance,’ he added.
The Ball Is (Still) in Russia’s Court
Last week US–Ukraine talks in Saudi Arabia led to Kyiv’s agreement to an immediate 30-day ceasefire. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated at the time that ‘the ball is in Russia’s court’ and that if Moscow rejects the deal, it would reveal which side is truly committed to achieving peace.
Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff travelled to Moscow on Thursday for closed-door talks with Putin, briefing him on the ceasefire proposal. Prior to that, the Russian president had stated that Moscow supported the ceasefire ‘in principle’ but raised concerns about its true motives. The Kremlin argues that an immediate ceasefire would primarily benefit Ukraine, allowing its armed forces time to regroup and rearm.
Following Witkoff’s visit, the Kremlin confirmed that Putin had sent a message to Trump regarding the ceasefire plan, expressing ‘cautious optimism’ about the potential for an agreement.
Mixed Signals from the White House
According to Trump, Tuesday’s discussions will focus on possible concessions related to the ceasefire deal. ‘We’ll be talking about land. We’ll be talking about power plants…We’re already discussing dividing up certain assets,’ he told reporters.
Over the weekend senior officials from Trump’s foreign policy team hinted at these potential concessions. White House national security adviser Mike Waltz suggested on Sunday that Ukraine might have to cede some territory to Russia and abandon its aspirations for NATO membership in the foreseeable future.
‘A permanent pathway into NATO, or permanent membership for Ukraine, is incredibly unlikely’
Asked whether Ukraine would need to relinquish its southeastern Donbas region—much of which is under Russian control—and abandon its NATO ambitions, Waltz replied: ‘This is going to be some type of territory-for-future-security guarantees deal—the future status of Ukraine.’ He added: ‘A permanent pathway into NATO, or permanent membership for Ukraine, is incredibly unlikely.’
Meanwhile, speaking to CNN, Witkoff called discussions of US recognition of Russian-held territories in Ukraine ‘a little premature’. ‘This is a highly complicated situation, but we are bridging the gap between the two sides,’ he said. Witkoff also highlighted the rapid progress of US-led mediation efforts, noting that just weeks ago, the two warring parties were far apart in their positions, whereas now, real progress is being made.
Sanctions Relief and Normalization
It appears that Europe is also playing a role in negotiations after concerns emerged about being sidelined when Trump announced his peace initiative in mid-February. Witkoff told CNN that negotiations are ongoing with all stakeholders, including European nations.
On Monday POLITICO reported that Germany’s national security adviser Jens Plötner, French President Emmanuel Macron’s diplomatic adviser Emmanuel Bonne, and British national security adviser Jonathan Powell met with Waltz at the White House on Friday to discuss the ceasefire plan.
In another significant development, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s commissioner for sanctions policy Vladyslav Vlasiuk told POLITICO that Western sanctions on Russia could be lifted if doing so helps secure long-term security for Ukraine.
Vlasiuk noted that Russia’s attempts to negotiate sanctions relief indicate which punitive measures are hurting its economy the most—giving Ukraine leverage in negotiations. ‘A return to countries doing business with Russia in one way or another is simply a matter of time,’ he said, adding that any such normalization must happen under the right conditions.
‘Western sanctions on Russia could be lifted if doing so helps secure long-term security for Ukraine’
Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Western countries have significantly curtailed diplomatic and economic relations with Moscow. The US and the European Union imposed sanctions targeting Russia’s energy, defence, and banking sectors while restricting trade with the country. However, as peace talks progress, Western leaders are beginning to show a willingness to restore relations with Russia.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte openly acknowledged this shift on Friday, stating: ‘It’s normal that if the war stops, Europe—and eventually the US—will, step by step, restore normal relations with Russia.’ He also confirmed that Ukraine’s NATO accession is no longer under consideration—a significant concession regarding Moscow’s key demands for any peace agreement.
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