President Trump meets with Russian President Vladimir Putin during the G20 summit in Osaka, Japan, on June 28, 2019. The two men spoke Tuesday on matters including a ceasefire in the Ukraine war.
Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images
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Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images
President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin have agreed to start talks toward a ceasefire in Ukraine, the White House said.
The two leaders spoke by phone Tuesday morning and discussed the need for “a lasting peace agreement” as well as ” improved bilateral relations between the United States and Russia,” according to a White House statement.
“The leaders agreed that the movement to peace will begin with an energy and infrastructure ceasefire, as well as technical negotiations on implementation of a maritime ceasefire in the Black Sea, full ceasefire and permanent peace. These negotiations will begin immediately in the Middle East,” the White House said.
Tuesday’s high-stakes call was the latest effort in Trump’s efforts to reach an agreement that will eventually lead to the end of the Russian war on Ukraine. Trump last spoke to Putin on Feb. 12 for about 90 minutes, during which time the leaders agreed to visit each other’s nations.
On Sunday, ahead of the call, Trump told reporters that negotiations have progressed so far that he and Putin would be discussing “dividing up certain assets,” including land and power plants.
“It’s a bad situation in Russia, and it’s a bad situation in Ukraine,” Trump told reporters on Monday. “What’s happening in Ukraine is not good, but we’re going to see if we can work a peace agreement, a ceasefire and peace. And I think we’ll be able to do it.”
In advance of the call, the Trump administration special envoy Steve Witkoff traveled to Moscow last week to speak with Putin. Witkoff told CBS News Sunday that he met with Putin for three or four hours, and described the meeting as positive and constructive. He said he sees “very good trends” toward the “possibility of a near-term peace agreement.”
“There are regions that we all know the Russians are focused on,” Witkoff said. “There is a nuclear reactor that supplies quite a bit of electricity to the country of Ukraine. That’s got to be dealt with. There’s access to ports. There’s the Black Sea potential agreement. There’s just so many elements.”
Last week, Ukraine agreed to the U.S. plan for a 30-day ceasefire. As part of the plan, the United States immediately lifted its pause on sharing intelligence with Ukraine.
Trump and Putin also discussed the Middle East and agreed the region could serve as a place for potential cooperation to prevent future conflicts. The White House said they discussed “the need to stop proliferation of strategic weapons” and agreed that “Iran should never be in a position to destroy Israel.”
This is a developing story and will be updated.
