Russian leader Vladimir Putin said Moscow is open to a ceasefire memorandum with Kyiv but stopped short of agreeing to the unconditional ceasefire requested after his Monday call with US President Donald Trump.
The Trump–Putin call was seen as a follow-up to Friday’s Istanbul talks, where Ukraine and Russia reached a prisoner exchange deal but Moscow rejected a ceasefire.
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The call began shortly after 5 p.m. Kyiv time and lasted over two hours.
Putin called the call “very informative and quite a frank conversation,” according to the BBC.
Following the call, in an address to reporters, Putin also said Moscow is open to working with Ukraine on a memorandum of a future peace agreement, including a ceasefire.
“Russia will offer and is ready to work with Ukraine on a memorandum on a possible future peace agreement,” Putin claimed.
Previously, the Kremlin rejected the idea of an unconditional ceasefire by claiming logistical difficulties in monitoring and implementing a ceasefire across the front.
The Russian delegation reportedly suggested that Kyiv pull out its troops from Ukrainian territories as part of a compromise, which Kyiv rejected.
After the call, Putin also addressed the resumption of contact between the Russian and Ukrainian representatives last week in Istanbul, indicating that the parties are “in general, on the right track”.
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Trump was scheduled to call Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky following his call on Monday with Putin, but reports originating from Kyiv said Trump had already talked to Zelensky briefly before talking to Putin.
Following last week’s talks, President Trump said peace in Ukraine would be impossible until he had a meeting with Putin.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio had previously downplayed the possibilities of progress in the Istanbul meeting. In a press conference on May 15 in Ankara, following, Rubio told reporters:
“And frankly, at this point, I think it’s abundantly clear that the only way we’re going to have a breakthrough [in negotiations] here is between President Trump and President Putin.”
On Sunday, Rubio and US Vice President JD Vance met Zelensky in Rome when the leaders were attending the inauguration of Pope Leo XIV,
On Sunday, Russia launched one of its largest drone attacks against Ukraine, and on Saturday, a Russian drone killed nine after hitting a civilian bus in Ukraine’s Sumy region.
This is a developing story.
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