Trump to hold call with Putin on moves to end Ukraine war

WASHINGTON:  U.S. President Donald Trump will speak to Russian President Vladimir Putin by phone on Tuesday to try to convince him to accept a ceasefire in the Ukraine war and move towards a more permanent end to the three-year-old conflict.

Ukraine has agreed to a U.S.-proposed 30-day ceasefire in Europe’s biggest conflict since World War Two, in which hundreds of thousands of people have been killed or wounded, millions have been displaced and towns have been reduced to rubble since Russian’s invasion in February 2022.

Putin said last week he supported in principle Washington’s proposal for a 30-day truce but that his forces would fight on until several crucial conditions were worked out.

In a test of his deal-making ability, Trump hopes he can now persuade Putin to also accept the ceasefire and allow progress towards a longer-term peace plan which he has hinted could include territorial concessions by Kyiv and control of Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.

“Many elements of a Final Agreement have been agreed to, but much remains,” Trump said in a social media post on Monday.