Trump, Putin hold ‘longest’ phone talk thus far on peace in Ukraine

RUSSIAN President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump held a telephone conversation last March 18 lasting more than two hours, their longest thus far, to discuss how to achieve a temporary ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine and how to conclude a lasting peace agreement between the two warring Slavic states.

From the official release of the discussion released by the Russian Foreign Ministry and the Russian Embassy in the Philippines thru their Telegram channels, both leaders continued with their “detailed and frank exchange of views on the situation surrounding Ukraine.”

“Confirming his fundamental commitment to finding a peaceful resolution to the conflict, the President of Russia expressed willingness to thoroughly work out possible solutions in cooperation with the American partners, aimed at reaching a settlement that would be comprehensive, reliable, and lasting, and, naturally, take into account the essential need to eliminate the root causes of the crisis, as well as Russia’s legitimate security interests,” Russia’s MFA handout said.

Even prior to his landslide victory in the November 2024 US presidential election, Trump has been vocal in ending the war between Russia and Ukraine, stating “it would not have happened” if he was president, instead of Democratic President Joe Biden.

On taking office last January 22, Trump appointed former US Army General Keith Kellogg as his ‘Special Envoy’ to Russia and Ukraine in an effort to settle their conflict thru diplomacy.

Prior to the call, an American delegation headed by US State Secretary Mark Rubio had met separately with a delegation from Russia and Ukraine facilitated by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

During the meeting with Ukrainian officials, they agreed to the US proposal of a 30-days ceasefire with Russia involving a stop to attacks on energy facilities and civilian infrastructures.

Putin immediately showed his willingness to the proposal by ordering a stop to all drones and missile attacks on Ukraine energy infrastructures that have been scheduled during his talk with Trump.

Putin also proposed that as part of the ceasefire and towards the attainment of a lasting peace deal, the US and NATO should stop providing Kyiv with military hardware and intelligence information.

He also called for a stop to the ‘forced mobilization’ of Ukrainians to fight the neo-Nazis losing war against Russia.

“It was pointed out that a complete cessation of providing Kiev with foreign military aid and intelligence must become the key condition for preventing an escalation of the conflict and making progress towards its resolution through political and diplomatic means,” the MFA handout added.

Heeding the appeal of Trump to spare the lives of encircled Ukrainian soldiers, especially in the Kursk region, Putin said he would “guarantee” that their lives would be spared and they would be treated “fairly” should they decide to surrender.

Just a day after the talk between the two leaders were made known to the world, Russia’s MFA reported that the Ukraine Armed Forces (UAF) attacked a fuel depot in the Kuban region, Southern Russia, followed by a strike on the Sudzha gas metering station in the Kursk Region on March 21.

“In addition, there have been further barbaric incidents of Ukrainian drones deliberately targeting residential buildings and social facilities,” said MFA spokesperson, Maria Sakharova.

“These reckless actions once again highlight Kiev’s complete disregard for agreements and its lack of commitment to achieving peace. Just as in 2022, provocations are being used to derail the negotiation process,” she added.

“We issue a clear warning: if the Kiev regime persists in its destructive course, Russia reserves the right to respond, including with symmetrical measures,” Sakharova warned further.

Incidentally, Ukraine’s attacks came on the same day that Russia agreed for another exchange of prisoners of war involving 175 people each from both sides.

Putin also told Trump that 23 “seriously wounded” Ukrainian soldiers being treated in Russia would be turned over, as part of his goodwill to the US president.

During their talk, Putin also told Trump on the difficulty of holding Ukraine and its dictator, Volodymyr Zelensky, to their word, citing Zelensky’s record of breaking previous record of breaking agreements.

The attacks on the Kuban and Kursk region again proved his point.

Despite this, delegations from Russia and the US are again meeting in Saudi Arabia to discuss practical steps to implement the ceasefire, including ensuring the safety of travel in the Black Sea.