BBC’s Russian Service reports that U.S. President Donald Trump has announced plans to speak with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday about ending the war in Ukraine. Prior to this, U.S. and Russian officials held talks in Moscow, which Trump described as “very good and productive.”
Meanwhile, Putin has outlined conditions under which he is willing to discuss Washington and Kyiv’s ceasefire proposal, according to BBC’s Russian Service.
“I will speak with President Putin on Tuesday. A lot of work has been done over the weekend,” Trump told reporters aboard his plane en route from Florida to Washington (Reuters).
“We want to see if we can put an end to this war. Maybe we can, maybe we can’t, but I think we have a very good chance,” he added.
When asked what concessions might be discussed during ceasefire negotiations, Trump responded:
"We will talk about land. We will talk about power plants" – a remark widely interpreted as a reference to Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, currently under Russian control.
"I think both sides, Ukraine and Russia, have already discussed a lot. We are already talking about this—about the division of certain assets—they are working on it," Trump said.
He did not specify which assets were being discussed or whether such agreements would be temporary.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov confirmed the upcoming call: “Yes, that is correct. Such a conversation is planned for Tuesday.”
However, Peskov declined to disclose details: “We never do that, we never get ahead of events.”
According to BBC diplomatic correspondent James Landale, sources in Kyiv indicate that a long-term deal based on ‘land-for-peace’ is not being considered. Instead, negotiations seem to focus on where ceasefire lines should be drawn in the event of an agreement.
Ukraine has repeatedly rejected any legal recognition of its occupied territories as part of Russia.
Talks in Moscow and Jeddah
Trump is trying to secure Putin’s support for a 30-day ceasefire proposal, which Ukraine accepted last week during U.S.-Ukraine negotiations in Saudi Arabia. These discussions followed a U.S.-Russia meeting in Riyadh.
On March 13, Putin met in Moscow with Steve Witkoff, Trump’s special envoy.
The Kremlin remained reserved about the meeting. Witkoff “was provided with additional information” on the ceasefire initiative, while Putin sent “messages and further signals to Trump” through Witkoff.
However, Trump took a more optimistic tone. “We had very good and productive talks with President Vladimir Putin, and there is a very good chance that this horrific, bloody war will finally end,” he wrote on Truth Social.
These diplomatic efforts are unfolding against the backdrop of a Russian offensive in Russia’s Kursk region, where Russian forces captured the key district center of Sudzha.
