Russia-Ukraine conflict: Eliminate root cause of issue, Putin tells Trump

US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin held a two-hour-long phone conversation on Monday (19 May), discussing in detail the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict. 

Following the call, Trump, in a post on Truth Social, wrote, "Just completed my two hour call with President Vladimir Putin of Russia. I believe it went very well. Russia and Ukraine will immediately start negotiations toward a Ceasefire and, more importantly, an END to the War. The conditions for that will be negotiated between the two parties, as it can only be, because they know details of a negotiation that nobody else would be aware of. The tone and spirit of the conversation were excellent. If it wasn’t, I would say so now, rather than later."

 

 

He further wrote, "Russia wants to do largescale TRADE with the United States when this catastrophic “bloodbath” is over, and I agree. There is a tremendous opportunity for Russia to create massive amounts of jobs and wealth. Its potential is UNLIMITED. Likewise, Ukraine can be a great beneficiary on Trade, in the process of rebuilding its Country. Negotiations between Russia and Ukraine will begin immediately. I have so informed President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, of Ukraine, Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, President Emmanuel Macron, of France, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, of Italy, Chancellor Friedrich Merz, of Germany, and President Alexander Stubb, of Finland, during a call with me, immediately after the call with President Putin. The Vatican, as represented by the Pope, has stated that it would be very interested in hosting the negotiations. Let the process begin!"

 

According to reports, Putin described the call with the US President as "informative and helpful". He also told Trump that the "root cause of the issue" must be addressed to resolve the war.

 

Notably, Trump is also scheduled to hold a telephonic conversation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Monday itself. 

    The White House was yet to provide its own account of the call at the time of filing this report.

 

Trump has so far struggled to bring an end to the war, which began with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. These high-stakes conversations mark a critical test of his credentials as a deal-maker, especially after his repeated claims that he would resolve the conflict swiftly upon returning to the White House—or even before taking office.

 

"He's grown weary and frustrated with both sides of the conflict," White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters on Monday ahead of the call. She added that Trump has made it clear to both Moscow and Kyiv that he wants to see a peaceful resolution and a ceasefire as soon as possible.  Ahead of the call, US Vice President JD Vance said Trump is more than open to walking away from trying to end the war if he feels Putin isn't serious about negotiation. Meanwhile, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov called the conversation important, given the talks that took place in Istanbul last week between Russian and Ukrainian officials, the first such negotiations since March 2022. 

Prisoner swap moves forward

Earlier, Putin turned down a proposal from Zelenskyy for an in-person meeting in Turkey, which was suggested as an alternative to the 30-day ceasefire advocated by Ukraine and its Western backers, including the United States. Nevertheless, Russian and Ukrainian governments agreed to proceed with a prisoner exchange involving 1,000 detainees each. 

 

When asked about Putin’s absence from Turkey talks, Trump said, “He and I will meet, and I think we’ll solve it – or maybe not... At least we’ll know. And if we don’t solve it, it’ll be very interesting.”

 

Earlier in Rome, Zelenskyy met with JD Vance and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, as well as several European leaders, in a diplomatic effort ahead of scheduled Monday discussions. Zelenskyy said on social media platform X that during his discussions with American officials, he underscored Ukraine’s commitment to genuine negotiations, even though Russia had sent only "junior representatives" to the Turkey meeting.

 

He also mentioned that the conversations covered a wide range of issues, including sanctions against Russia, bilateral trade, defence cooperation, battlefield developments, and the planned prisoner swap. "Pressure must continue until Russia shows readiness to end the war," Zelenskyy stated.

 

This renewed diplomatic push comes amid escalating violence, with Ukraine’s air force reporting on Sunday (May 18) that Russia launched its largest drone assault since the war began in 2022, deploying 273 drones and decoys. The strikes hit multiple regions, including Kyiv, Dnipropetrovsk, and Donetsk.