Iruni Kalupahana JadeTimes Staff
I. Kalupahana is a Jadetimes news reporter covering Russia-Ukraine war
U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin have begun phone talks aimed at reaching a ceasefire in the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. Washington hopes the discussions will convince Moscow to accept a U.S. proposed 30 day truce, leading to a permanent resolution of the three-year-old war. A White House official confirmed that the call, which started at 1400 GMT, was progressing well, with both leaders continuing their conversation.
Ukraine has already agreed to the proposed 30 day ceasefire, marking a significant step in efforts to end Europe's largest conflict since World War Two. The war has caused immense suffering, with hundreds of thousands dead or wounded and millions displaced. Russian President Putin expressed his support for the truce last week, though he indicated that his forces would continue fighting until several key conditions were met.
Trump aims to persuade Putin to accept the ceasefire and move toward a longer term peace agreement. He has suggested that this may involve territorial concessions by Ukraine, including control of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. Trump emphasized the urgency of ending the conflict, highlighting the loss of life on both sides, with thousands of soldiers dying every week.
The call between Trump and Putin follows earlier high level contacts and aims to address the broader issues surrounding the Ukraine war and the normalization of U.S.-Russia relations. However, Ukraine remains firm in its stance, with President Volodymyr Zelenskiy asserting that the sovereignty of Ukraine is non negotiable and demanding the return of seized territories, including Crimea, which Russia annexed in 2014.
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