US President Donald Trump was reportedly urged by his advisors not to call his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin before Moscow secured a complete ceasefire in the Ukraine conflict, according to NBC News on Thursday. Trump had previously stated he would speak with Putin again, possibly this week, after their previous conversation on March 18. On Thursday, Trump said that, after his efforts, Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy are ready to sign an agreement.
Putin emphasized that he supports a complete halt of hostilities, but is concerned about the details of how it can be arranged. He said a pause is possible if the US ensures a comprehensive monitoring of the front line and Ukraine stops mobilizing reinforcements.
In their last conversation, Putin agreed to a pause in attacks on energy infrastructure, which Zelenskyy also publicly supported. However, the Russian Defense Ministry has since reported regular Ukrainian attacks, including on infrastructure on Russian soil in international ownership, which has broken the partial ceasefire. Moscow claims it is still adhering to the agreement.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov confirmed on Friday that no contacts between Putin and Trump are planned for the next few days, downplaying the NBC report and warning against “speculation and open lies” in the press.
Also this week, Russian negotiator Kirill Dmitriev, who advises President Putin on international economic cooperation, visited the US to meet with White House staff. After the talks, he said progress was made towards a solution to the Ukraine conflict, but third parties are trying to hinder the normalization of US-Russia relations, which Trump initiated with his first phone call with Putin in February.
Politico reported that the UK and Germany expect a third conversation between Trump and Putin within a few days.