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Talks between Russia and Ukraine could be hosted by The Vatican, says Trump
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Donald Trump has said Russia and Ukraine will “immediately” begin ceasefire negotiations after a two-hour phone call with Vladimir Putin on Monday.
The US president said the conversation with Mr Putin was “excellent”, as he also laid out plans for opening trade with Russia after the war was over.
After the call, he spoke with with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky and European leaders in hopes of making progress toward a ceasefire.
He also claimed that talks between Russia and Ukraine could be hosted by The Vatican. “Let the process being,” he wrote in a Truth Social post.
Moscow also said that Putin was now ready to work towards peace and on a memorandum about future peace talks.
The call came after Mr Trump last week vowed to meet Putin “as soon as we can” during a diplomatic fiasco prompted by the Russian president shunning peace talks in Turkey.
Earlier, US vice president JD Vance told reporters the administration realised there was an “impasse” that needed to be resolved to bring an end to the conflict.
Donald Trump has said “it would be great” for Russia and Ukraine to hold ceasefire talks at the Vatican, saying it would add extra significance to the proceedings.
Trump, describing his phone call earlier with Russian President Vladimir Putin, said he told him, “When are we going to end this, Vladimir?”
On Monday, Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin sat down and spoke for two hours over the phone.
Both leaders said the call was a success, with Putin agreeing to work towards a peace deal with Ukraine.
Here is an overview of the call:
– The call began at around 3:30pm UK time, and lasted for two hours.
– The pair spoke over an encrypted line, Putin from Russia’s Black Sea resort of Sochi and Trump in Washington.
– Putin said the call was “very informative and helpful”.
– Moscow said it was ready to work with Ukraine on a memorandum about future peace talks, as Trump said negotiations will now begin “immediately”.
– Trump said the call went “very well” and spoke to several world leaders Volodymyr Zelensky, Emmanuel Macron and Giorgia Meloni after he spoke with Putin.
– He also said that ceasefire negotiations could be held by the Vatican.
– They are said to have addressed each other by their first names, and Putin congratulated Trump on the birth of his latest grandson, Kremlin foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov said.
– The pair also discussed a potential US-Russia trade deal, which Trump said was a possibility once the war was over.
– They also discussed a potential new prisoner swap during the call, as Ushakov said the two countries were working out details of an exchange involving nine people on each side.
– After the call, Zelensky said it was possible that leaders from Ukraine, Russia, US, EU and UK leaders could meet.
Donald Trump said he “made progress” on Monday during his call with Vladimir Putin, and that he also spoke to the heads of most European nations.
He also responded briefly to two shouted questions from reporters — if he thought Putin wanted peace, and if he thought Pope Leo could help broker it.
In both instances, he responded in the affirmative, saying: “I do.”
Vladimir Putin was quick on the draw with an announcement that said nothing after his two-hour phone call with Donald Trump, as the Russian president grabbed the narrative before the Oval Office had figured out what the story even was.
Donald Trump claims his two-hour phone call with Vladimir Putin went ‘very well’, but it is the Russian president who calls the shots, writes Sam Kiley, The Independent’s world affairs editor:
The Kremlin has described more details about Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin’s phone call on Monday.
Kremlin foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov stressed the warm nature of the conversation, saying the two men addressed each other by their first names and Putin congratulated Trump on the birth of his latest grandson.
“Trump said: Vladimir, you can pick up the phone at any time, I will be happy to answer, I will be happy to talk to you,” Ushakov said.
Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump discussed “impressive” prospects for ties between their two countries in a phone call on Monday, the Kremlin has said.
Kremlin foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov told reporters that the two leaders had not discussed a timeline for a ceasefire in Ukraine, but that Trump had stressed his interest in reaching agreements quickly.
“The presidents also spoke in some detail about the future of our relations, and President Trump, I can say, spoke quite emotionally about the prospects for these relations,” Ushakov said.
“He specifically emphasised that the prospects for bilateral relations after the Ukrainian conflict is resolved look impressive, and that as the president of the United States, he sees Russia as one of America’s most important partners in trade and economic matters.”
Russia has outlawed Amnesty International, designating it an “undesirable organisation” and criminalising involvement with the human rights group in the country.
This move, announced Monday by the Russian Prosecutor General’s office, further intensifies the Kremlin’s crackdown on dissent, which has escalated dramatically since the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
The ban effectively shuts down Amnesty’s operations within Russia and threatens anyone cooperating with or supporting the organisation with prosecution.
Our reporter Albert Toth has the full story:
European and US leaders have welcomed Pope Leo XIV’s offer to host Russia-Ukraine talks at the Vatican,
Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni said on Monday that European leaders, including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, spoke to US President Donald Trump after he had a call with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“Work is underway to immediately start negotiations between the parties that can lead to a ceasefire as soon as possible and build the conditions for a just and lasting peace in Ukraine,” Meloni’s office said in a statement.
“In this regard, the Holy Father’s willingness to host the talks at the Vatican was considered positive. Italy is ready to do its part to facilitate contacts and work for peace,” the statement added.
The Kremlin has said Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump discussed a new prisoner swap during their 2-hour phone call on Monday.
Kremlin foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov said the two countries were working out details of an exchange of prisoners jailed in Russia and the United States involving nine people on each side, although he did not say when it might take place.
Trump and Putin are both in favour of meeting in person and will assign their teams to work on preparing a meeting, Ushakov said, but no venue has been agreed.
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