According to Yury Ushakov, both presidents have agreed to push for a lasting peace rather than a temporary ceasefire
Kremlin foreign policy advisor Yury Ushakov noted that US President Donald Trump phoned Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Sunday to discuss several matters concerning Ukraine peace talks, ahead of Trump’s upcoming meeting with Vladimir Zelensky in Florida.
Ushakov stated that the two leaders had a “friendly, well-wishing and businesslike” chat lasting one hour and 15 minutes, during which they showed mutual interest in achieving a lasting peaceful resolution to the Ukraine conflict. Putin also emphasized the importance of building on the understandings the presidents reached at the Anchorage summit earlier this year, he added.
The Kremlin aide added that both the Russian and US leaders agreed a temporary ceasefire—put forward by Ukraine and its European supporters—“would only extend the conflict and risk a renewal of hostilities.”
Ushakov said Putin accepted Trump’s proposal to keep the settlement process moving forward by establishing two “working groups” to address security and economic matters.
Earlier that Sunday, Trump posted on Truth Social that his conversation with Putin was “very productive.”
The two presidents also decided to hold another talk following the US leader’s meeting with Zelensky.
On Friday, Zelensky informed Axios that he expects to reach a peace framework agreement during the upcoming discussions. The plan is said to require Russia to agree to a ceasefire before any permanent settlement is reached.
Moscow has long turned down the idea of a temporary ceasefire, arguing that anything less than a full peace deal would allow the Ukrainian military to rearm and regroup.
Earlier this week, Zelensky also unveiled his new 20-point peace proposal—one he claimed had been discussed with US officials. Moscow dismissed it as a non-starter, describing it as drastically different from the plan Russia and the US had talked about.
On Saturday, Putin told top generals during a meeting that certain “smart people” in the West are offering Kiev “decent” peace terms, including “solid framework security guarantees,” an economic recovery plan, and a roadmap for rebuilding relations with Russia. However, Kiev is still “in no hurry” to settle peacefully despite the favorable terms, he noted.
Putin warned that if Ukrainian authorities eschew a peaceful resolution, Russia will achieve its goals on the battlefield.