U.S. President Donald Trump has said “many elements” of a potential peace deal in Ukraine have already been agreed with the Kremlin as he prepares to talk to Vladimir Putin by phone on Tuesday.
Trump renewed his call for an end to the war in Ukraine, posting on his Truth Social network on Monday: “Each week brings 2,500 soldier deaths, from both sides, and it must end NOW. I look very much forward to the call with President Putin.”
He also wrote that “many elements of a Final Agreement have been agreed to, but much remains.”
Trump told journalists aboard Air Force One on Monday: “We'll be talking about land. We'll be talking about power plants ... We're already talking about that, dividing up certain assets.”
The White House’s press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, added more details to the matters the two heads of state would be discussing.
“There's a power plant that is on the border of Russia and Ukraine that was up for discussion with the Ukrainians, and he will address it in his call with Putin tomorrow,” she said on Monday of Trump’s planned call.
He also wrote that “many elements of a Final Agreement have been agreed to, but much remains.”
Trump told journalists aboard Air Force One on Monday: “We'll be talking about land. We'll be talking about power plants ... We're already talking about that, dividing up certain assets.”
The White House’s press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, added more details to the matters the two heads of state would be discussing.
“There's a power plant that is on the border of Russia and Ukraine that was up for discussion with the Ukrainians, and he will address it in his call with Putin tomorrow,” she said on Monday of Trump’s planned call.
The power plant concerned is likely the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Station, the largest in Europe, which has been under Russian occupation since early in the conflict.
On Trump’s earlier comments about “dividing up assets,” Leavitt said the U.S. president and his national security team had been liaising directly with Ukraine’s President Zelenskyy and his delegation to discuss such issues but declined to provide details on “where those lines will be drawn.”
She added that “in the interests of transparency,” details would be made available immediately after the call.
The Kremlin has remained tight-lipped about the contents of Tuesday’s conversation, though the White House has been more forthcoming, saying on Monday that peace has “never been closer.”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio struck a more cautious note, however, telling Fox News in a Monday interview: “I don’t think there’s been movement to our satisfaction from anybody yet... I think there’s a lot to be worked on, but we’re closer [to peace] than we were two weeks ago or closer than we were six months ago.”
On Trump’s earlier comments about “dividing up assets,” Leavitt said the U.S. president and his national security team had been liaising directly with Ukraine’s President Zelenskyy and his delegation to discuss such issues but declined to provide details on “where those lines will be drawn.”
She added that “in the interests of transparency,” details would be made available immediately after the call.
The Kremlin has remained tight-lipped about the contents of Tuesday’s conversation, though the White House has been more forthcoming, saying on Monday that peace has “never been closer.”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio struck a more cautious note, however, telling Fox News in a Monday interview: “I don’t think there’s been movement to our satisfaction from anybody yet... I think there’s a lot to be worked on, but we’re closer [to peace] than we were two weeks ago or closer than we were six months ago.”
‘More cards to play’
President Zelenskyy again questioned Putin’s desire to find a peaceful solution, saying in his nightly TV address on Monday that “this proposal could have been implemented long ago... every day in wartime means human lives.”
Zelenskyy has accused Putin of trying to postpone a settlement and prolong fighting as Russia increasingly appears to have the upper hand on the battlefield, particularly in the southwestern Kursk region of Russia, where a Ukrainian incursion has been largely repelled.
Meanwhile, the U.K. and France have both pushed Putin to show a clear desire to end the war. France’s president, Emmanuel Macron, posted on the X platform on Monday evening that it is “now up to Russia to prove that it truly wants peace.”
The post went on to call for a “concrete peace plan” that provides “strong security guarantees for Ukraine” and “ensures lasting peace in Ukraine and Europe.”
Macron concluded by saying an agreement is needed that “prevents Russia from attacking again.”
Zelenskyy has accused Putin of trying to postpone a settlement and prolong fighting as Russia increasingly appears to have the upper hand on the battlefield, particularly in the southwestern Kursk region of Russia, where a Ukrainian incursion has been largely repelled.
Meanwhile, the U.K. and France have both pushed Putin to show a clear desire to end the war. France’s president, Emmanuel Macron, posted on the X platform on Monday evening that it is “now up to Russia to prove that it truly wants peace.”
The post went on to call for a “concrete peace plan” that provides “strong security guarantees for Ukraine” and “ensures lasting peace in Ukraine and Europe.”
Macron concluded by saying an agreement is needed that “prevents Russia from attacking again.”
Following Saturday’s meeting on peace and security in Ukraine and my discussion with @POTUS yesterday, I spoke with President @ZelenskyyUa today.
— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) March 17, 2025
President Zelensky demonstrated the courage to accept the US proposal for a 30-day ceasefire. It is now up to Russia to…
British Foreign Secretary David Lammy said he had seen “no sign” that Putin is serious about achieving peace and suggested the G7 group of developed economies could put added pressure on Moscow, telling MPs the G7 had managed to find “common ground” at talks last week.
“We’re not waiting for the Kremlin,” he said. “If they reject a ceasefire, we have more cards that we can play.”
He also said the onus is now on the Russian president.
“Now it is Putin who stands in the spotlight, Putin who must answer, Putin who must choose,” the U.K.’s Guardian newspaper quoted Lammy as saying in parliament. “Are you serious, Mr. Putin, about peace? Will you stop the fighting? Or will you drag your feet and play games, pay lip service to a ceasefire while still pummeling your prey?
“My warning to Mr. Putin is this—if you are serious, prove it with a full and unconditional ceasefire now.”
“We’re not waiting for the Kremlin,” he said. “If they reject a ceasefire, we have more cards that we can play.”
He also said the onus is now on the Russian president.
“Now it is Putin who stands in the spotlight, Putin who must answer, Putin who must choose,” the U.K.’s Guardian newspaper quoted Lammy as saying in parliament. “Are you serious, Mr. Putin, about peace? Will you stop the fighting? Or will you drag your feet and play games, pay lip service to a ceasefire while still pummeling your prey?
“My warning to Mr. Putin is this—if you are serious, prove it with a full and unconditional ceasefire now.”
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