Trump to Engage with Putin on Ukraine Cease-Fire Proposal
President Donald Trump announced plans to communicate with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday, expressing optimism about the potential for halting hostilities in Ukraine for a 30-day period.
During an Air Force One press engagement on Sunday evening, Trump stated, “We want to see if we can bring that war to an end. Maybe we can. Maybe we can’t, but I think we have a very good chance.”
Trump highlighted progress in negotiations over the weekend, revealing ongoing talks centered on “dividing up certain assets,” notably land and power plants. “I think we’ll be talking about land. It’s a lot of land, a lot different than it was before the war,” he commented.
He further added, “We’ll be discussing power plants. That’s a big question. But I think we have a lot of it already discussed very much by both sides — Ukraine and Russia.”
Steve Witkoff, the U.S. special envoy to the Middle East, participated in the peace discussions and described a productive meeting with Putin last week, which extended over three to four hours. On CNN, Witkoff refrained from divulging specific details of their dialogue but noted that both parties had “narrowed the differences between them.”
Ukraine has expressed support for the U.S.-backed cease-fire initiative, with President Volodymyr Zelensky accusing Putin of intentionally stalling negotiations to entrap Ukrainian forces, thereby enhancing Russia’s position in cease-fire talks.
Tensions escalated when Putin demanded the surrender of Ukrainian troops in the Kursk region of Russia on Friday. However, intense battles over the weekend resulted in Ukrainian forces withdrawing from most of the area, retaining control over a minor portion of land.
