Trump calls Putin, discusses possible trilateral meeting with Zelensky: Kremlin

Moscow: Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump held a phone conversation on Tuesday, reaffirming their commitment to continuing direct negotiations between Moscow and Kyiv, the Kremlin said.

Putin’s aide Yuri Ushakov confirmed that the call was made at Trump’s initiative. He noted that Trump briefed Putin on his recent discussions in Washington with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and several European leaders.

During the call, Putin thanked Trump for the hospitality shown during the recent Alaska Summit, and for the progress achieved there toward advancing peace efforts in Ukraine. Both leaders also discussed the possibility of involving senior officials from Russia and Ukraine in future talks.

“The two Presidents agreed to remain in close contact on Ukraine and other pressing international and bilateral matters. President Putin stressed the importance of Donald Trump’s personal efforts and commitment to finding a lasting settlement. The discussion was frank and constructive,” Ushakov said.

On Monday, after his meetings with Zelensky and European leaders, Trump announced that he was working to arrange a meeting between Putin and Zelensky as part of his initiative to end the war.

“I called President Putin and began the arrangements for a meeting, at a location to be determined, between President Putin and President Zelensky,” Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social.

He added that this would be followed by a trilateral meeting involving himself, Putin, and Zelensky. “This was a very good, early step for a war that has been going on for almost four years,” Trump said.

According to Trump, US Vice President J.D. Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff are coordinating with Russian and Ukrainian counterparts to work out the details.

With inputs from IANS