The phone call scheduled to take place at 9:00 p.m. on May 19 (Hanoi time) between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin is expected to open a breakthrough in the peace negotiation process in Ukraine, RT reported.
The announcement came after Russia and Ukraine held their first round of direct talks after three years of conflict, held in Istanbul on May 16. During the meeting, the two sides agreed to discuss a large number of prisoners and pledged to continue dialogue after each side submitted a detailed proposal for a ceasefire.
Mr. Witkoff called the round of talks in Turkey a positive achievement and stressed that President Trump wanted to push for a stable ceasefire, towards a last peace agreement.
I believe the President will have a very successful phone call with Vladimir Putin, he said. They know each other well. The President is determined to achieve a real result... If he can't do it, then no one can."
When asked whether Moscow's demands were too harsh, Witkoff admitted the situation was "very complicated", and that the two sides needed to find common ground.
In a negotiation like this, the parties will take their own stance. Art here is about narrowing that big gap. I think we have done it to some extent. The call will help determine where we are and what we need to complete this process.
President Trump also expressed hope that the May 19 phone call would be effective and said he would hold a phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and NATO members after talks with Mr. Putin. However, he warned that Moscow could face harsh sanctions if it does not make significant progress, while US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stressed that Washington does not want endless negotiations without concrete results.
On Russia's side, Moscow rejected a 30-day unconditional ceasefire request and stressed that negotiations needed to resolve the "root" of the conflict, including Ukraine's desire to join NATO - which Russia considers a security threat.
President Putin affirmed that a long-term ceasefire agreement could only be reached if Ukraine stopped military mobilization, stopped receiving weapons from abroad and withdrew troops from areas that Russia considers its territory. He warned that Kiev could take advantage of the temporary ceasefire to rearmail and strengthen forces.
