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Putin has a two-hour phone call with Donald Trump; is the Ukraine war coming to an end? Here's what they discussed

Putin has a two-hour phone call with Donald Trump; is the Ukraine war coming to an end? Here's what they discussed

Economic Times19-05-2025
Putin and Trump had a phone call about peace in Ukraine. Putin said he's open to talks, but tensions remain high after Russia's big drone strike and failed missile test. No U.S. response yet.
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Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump conversed for two hours straight on call on Monday, as per a Reuters reports, and again discussed about what can be done to end Russian Ukraine war. Putin said he found the conversation with Trump 'very informative, very open and very useful', according to Russian media. Trump also wrote on Truth Social that the ceasefire talks could soon begin, going as far as to say that Russia could be great trading partner once peace is established in the region.Putin said he's 'ready' to work with Ukraine on a peace deal, but both sides need to be open to compromise. Putin added, 'Russia stands for a peaceful resolution of the Ukrainian crisis.' He said, 'We just need to outline the most effective routes of moving towards peace.' The White House hasn't released an official summary of the call yet.Just before the call, US Vice President JD Vance said Trump might walk away from peace talks if Putin keeps ignoring peace efforts. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Trump is getting tired and frustrated with both sides in the war. Vance said Trump would ask Putin directly if he's serious about wanting peace.Trump is also supposed to talk to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky soon after the Putin call. Even though Trump wants peace, Putin launched the biggest drone attack of the war over the weekend , the worst since 2022 as per reports from the Ukrainian military. 273 exploding drones hit Kyiv, Dnipropetrovsk, and Donetsk regions in the attack.On the kremlin-controlled state TV Putin told Trump not to dictate terms to him for a ceasefire or to end the war as mentioned in the reports. Putin said, 'Americans have their own national interests, and we expect to be treated the same. He also warned that he still plans to finish what he started three years ago with the invasion of Ukraine.Just hours before the call, Russia tried to launch a nuclear-capable RS-24 Yars missile but failed according to the GUR reports. There was no blast at the Sverdlovsk test site, and the cause of the failure isn't confirmed yet. Russia has failed to test this missile several times before, as per past reports.Putin also ran new military drills in the Sea of Japan as a show of strength. The large ship Peresvet fired 122-mm Grad-M rockets and hit targets over six miles away. They also used AK-176 and AK-630 artillery to destroy targets in the sea and air. 12.7-mm heavy machine guns destroyed a balloon and a fake sea mine during the drills, as per reports.After the call, Putin said efforts to end the Ukraine war are now on the right track as per Reuters report. He said Russia is ready to work with Ukraine on a memorandum for a future peace agreement, Putin statement from Sochi.In the statement Putin thanked Trump for supporting direct talks between Moscow and Kyiv. He explained that the proposed memorandum could include key ideas like principles of peace, and timelines for an agreement. If a good deal is made, then a ceasefire could happen, according to Putin. He also said that direct talks give hope that the process is going in the right direction. Putin added that Russia's main goal is to get rid of the root causes of the crisis.Q1. Did Putin agree to stop the war after talking to Trump?No, he said he's open to peace talks but didn't agree to stop the war.Q2. What happened during Russia's missile test?Russia tried to fire a big missile, but it didn't work.
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