US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday he would likely hold phone talks with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin this week, expressing hope Moscow would agree to a proposed 30-day ceasefire with Ukraine.
Trump made the remarks to reporters shortly after Ukrainian and American delegations met in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, where Kiev agreed to Washington’s proposal for a ceasefire with Moscow. The US president said striking such an agreement would greatly aid in reaching a final deal to end the conflict.
“So, hopefully, [Putin will] also agree. And I really think that would be 75 percent of the way. The rest is getting it documented. You know, negotiating land positions, etc,” Trump stated.
Should Russia not agree to the ceasefire, “we just keep going on,” the US president said, warning that “lots of people” would be killed. Russian and US officials are expected to hold a meeting “today and tomorrow” to negotiate, he said.
Shortly after Trump delivered his remarks, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that contacts between Moscow and Washington in the coming days could not be ruled out. According to a reporter with the Kremlin pool, Dmitry Smirnov, a phone conversation between the US and Russian presidents will be held on Friday.
Thus far, Moscow has not provided any official reaction to the statements made following the conclusion of US-Ukraine talks in Jeddah. Previously, top Russian officials have stated that a temporary truce is not a solution to the Ukrainian conflict, and that the root problems must be addressed instead.
A pause in the hostilities will be only used by Kiev and its backers to rearm and get ready for a new round of fighting, Moscow has suggested.
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