The phone call between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin did not change the situation regarding Russia’s war against Ukraine, reported Mikhail Podolyak, an advisor to the head of the Office of the President of Ukraine. According to him, «unfortunately, after the Trump/Putin phone call, the status quo has not changed. Ukraine continues to offer the only realistic way out of the war: an immediate and unconditional ceasefire – comprehensive, lasting, and mandatory.»
This is reported by Kyiv24
He added that Europe fully supports Ukraine on this issue, understanding all the risks of war and its delayed consequences. The U.S. remains a global mediator and is convinced that Russia and Ukraine have the opportunity to find a compromise, but Russia’s position has remained unchanged, namely, «I want war, destruction, and killings because I consider them the only way for my current state to exist.»
Positions of the Parties on Peace
«There is Russia, which is not ready and categorically does not want a ceasefire. And there is an obsessive state of «searching for and eliminating the root causes of the war,» although the only reason is the very fact of Russia’s unprovoked aggression,» Podolyak noted in a telegram. After this, Donald Trump stated that his negotiations with Putin went «very well» and called for an immediate start to negotiations on a ceasefire and the end of the war.
Trump also reported that he informed Volodymyr Zelensky and allies about the results of the negotiations. After the conversation with Trump on May 19, Putin stated that Russia and Ukraine must find compromises that satisfy both sides, and that Russia is ready to work with the Kyiv authorities on a memorandum for a future peace treaty.
These phone negotiations took place after a meeting between Russian and Ukrainian representatives in Istanbul, which was the first in several months and ended with an agreement on the exchange of prisoners of war. However, the issue of halting hostilities remained open, and Russian troops continued to strike Ukraine, including large-scale drone attacks.
The meeting in Istanbul included Russia’s demands for the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from occupied territories, which is rejected by Kyiv and its Western allies. Since taking office in January, Trump has made ending the war a priority of his foreign policy, although his efforts have complicated further military actions by Russia and Moscow’s unwillingness to agree to a ceasefire.
Overall, the situation remains complex, and the prospects for a quick peace are still uncertain due to the firm positions of both sides and the complexity of diplomatic processes.