Donald Trump will hold a phone call with Vladimir Putin today, with the Russian president under growing pressure to accept a ceasefire deal. Ahead of the call, Trump said “many elements” have been agreed but warned “much remains”. Follow the latest here.
false,Tuesday 18 March 2025 09:18, UK
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The Kremlin has said that Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump’s phone call will take place between 1pm – 3pm UK time.
There is a “certain understanding” with the US but there are also a large number of questions to discuss, and the two leaders will speak for as long as they consider necessary, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said.
Last night, Trump said the talks with the Russian president would take place in the morning (see post at 7.42am).
He said “many elements” have been agreed, but he warned “much remains” ahead of the phone call.
We’ve been telling you about Donald Trump’s call with Vladimir Putin that’s set to take place in the coming hours, with the US president saying talks will involve “dividing up certain assets”.
But what key details are up for discussion?
Watch analysis from our security and defence analyst Michael Clarke in the video below…
Ukraine and its allies will be waiting with bated breath to hear what comes from Donald Trump’s call with Vladimir Putin today, our Moscow correspondent Ivor Bennett says.
“It feels like a lot hinges on this conversation,” he explains, adding that we’re expecting it to take place in the afternoon UK time.
Bennett outlines that Trump is seeking to persuade Putin to give a firm agreement to the US proposal of a 30-day ceasefire, something which Ukraine has already signed up to.
But he goes on to say Moscow’s agreement comes with “strings attached”.
“Putin didn’t specify his demands, but he hinted strongly last week that he wants all of Russia’s red lines met,” Bennett says.
That involves NATO membership, peacekeepers and territory.
On Trump’s remarks about talks involving “dividing up” assets, Bennett says the control of the Zaporizhzhia power plant could be up for discussion.
It’s the largest in Europe and is currently under Russian occupation.
“We don’t know for sure, but it’s safe to say a lot is at stake,” Bennett adds.
With Donald Trump preparing to hold a phone call with Vladimir Putin, Ukraine and its allies are waiting to see if they’ll learn any more about the Russian president’s response to a ceasefire deal.
Putin gave his first reaction to the deal last week, and said “lots of questions” remain – a stance which led Ukraine and its allies to accuse Russia of using delaying tactics.
Ukrainian foreign minister Andrii Sybiha has insisted this morning that his country is not the obstacle to achieving peace, and said it is ready to implement the outcomes of its meeting with the US in Saudi Arabia last month.
Sybiha said he hopes to get clarity from today’s call between the US and Russian president, and expressed support in Trump’s ability to secure a just and lasting peace.
As we’ve been reporting, Donald Trump will hold talks with Vladimir Putin today as pressure continues to grow on the Russian president to agree to the ceasefire.
But as the leaders prepare for their phone call, overnight strikes have been continuing.
Kyiv’s air force said Russia launched more than 100 drones in an overnight attack across Ukraine.
It said 63 of the drones were destroyed, while another 64 were “locationally lost” without causing damage – referring to drones diverted through the use of electronic jamming.
Washington’s policy towards Moscow has taken a sharp turn ever since Donald Trump returned to the White House in January.
US and Russian officials sat down for peace talks in Saudi Arabia last month – sparked by a phone call between Trump and Vladimir Putin – and now the two leaders will speak again.
It comes as pressure is being ramped up on Putin to accept the ceasefire, something Volodymyr Zelenskyy has already agreed to.
But what are we expecting from the talks? Here’s what Washington and Moscow have told us…
‘Many elements’ agreed, Trump says
Speaking to reporters on board Air Force One, Trump made the first mention that he would be speaking to Putin and said “a lot of work’s been done over the weekend”.
The US president also said land and power plants will be part of the conversation, and described it as “dividing up certain assets”.
Taking to Truth Social last night, Trump gave another update on today’s talks with the Russian president and said they would be taking place in the morning.
While he said “many elements” have been agreed, he warned “much remains” ahead of the phone call.
Kremlin: ‘We don’t get ahead of ourselves’
We also heard from the Kremlin yesterday, which confirmed the phone call is being prepared.
But Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov did not give any further details of the call.
“We never do that, we don’t get ahead of ourselves,” he said.
The Kremlin declined to comment when asked about Trump’s remarks on Air Force One about “dividing up” land and power plants.
Good morning and welcome back to our live coverage of the war in Ukraine and ongoing efforts, led by the US, to bring the fighting to an end.
We’ll be continuing with our live updates shortly, but first here’s all the key events from the past 24 hours:
Stay with us as we bring you updates throughout the day, including anything we get on that phone call between Trump and Putin.
Thank you for following our live coverage of the war in Ukraine today, we’ll be back tomorrow to bring you the details of Donald Trump’s call with Vladimir Putin.
But before we go, here’s a roundup of all the key events from today:
Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin “are very good friends” and are focused on ways to strengthen the bonds between the US and Russia, Tulsi Gabbard has said.
The US director of national intelligence said the ties between Russia and the US go “very far back”.
Trump is committed to expanding a relationship centred “around peace, prosperity, freedom and security,” she added.
“We have two leaders of two great countries who are very good friends and very focused on how we can strengthen the shared objectives and shared interests,” Gabbard said in an interview with India’s NDTV.
Gabbard’s comments highlight the seismic shift in US-Russia relations propelled by Trump, who has blamed Ukraine for Russia’s invasion and started a shouting match with Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the White House.
Gabbard has previously repeated Russian propaganda points about the war and expressed sympathy for Moscow.
Many elements of a final deal on Ukraine have been agreed – but much remains, Donald Trump has said ahead of a call with Vladimir Putin tomorrow.
“I look very much forward to the call with President Putin,” he wrote on his social media site Truth Social.
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