Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed declaring a ceasefire in Ukraine on May 9—when Russia marks Victory Day—during a phone call with U.S. President Donald Trump, according to Putin’s aide Yuri Ushakov, as reported by Dialog.ua.
According to Ushakov, the conversation between Putin and Trump lasted about an hour and a half and was described as “open,” “friendly,” and “businesslike.”
He also claimed that, at the request of the American leader, Putin outlined the situation on the front line.
Ushakov further stated that both Putin and Trump expressed “similar assessments” of the actions of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who, according to Ushakov, is “prolonging the conflict” with European support.
In addition, the Russian aide complained about Ukrainian strikes on targets inside Russia.
According to Ushakov, during the conversation Putin once again insisted that the objectives of the war against Ukraine would be “achieved” and stressed the need for a “positive response” from Kyiv to what he described as “well-known proposals” for a diplomatic settlement.
For his part, Trump said that an agreement to end the war is “close.” However, in Washington neither Trump nor representatives of the White House have yet commented on the phone call with the Kremlin leader.
As previously reported, Ukrainian drones have repeatedly targeted oil refineries in Russian cities, including Tuapse, Orsk, and Perm, over the past month.
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Putin speaks with Trump, proposes ceasefire in Ukraine on Victory Day
