US President Donald Trump on Thursday held a "lengthy" call with Russian President Vladimir Putin ahead of his meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday.
Trump said in a post on Truth Social that he had a “very productive” telephone conversation with Putin, during which the two leaders discussed prospects for ending the war in Ukraine and future trade ties.
"President Putin congratulated me and the United States on the Great Accomplishment of Peace in the Middle East, something that, he said, has been dreamed of for centuries. I actually believe that the success in the Middle East will help in our negotiation in attaining an end to the War with Russia/Ukraine," he said in the post.
"We also spent a great deal of time talking about trade between Russia and the United States when the War with Ukraine is over. At the conclusion of the call, we agreed that there will be a meeting of our high level advisors, next week," the US president said.
He said both sides agreed to hold a meeting of senior advisers next week, led on the US side by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, before a proposed leaders’ meeting in Budapest, Hungary.
"A meeting location is to be determined. President Putin and I will then meet in an agreed-upon location, Budapest, Hungary, to see if we can bring this “inglorious” war, between Russia and Ukraine, to an end," he said.
Trump also said he would meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the Oval Office on Friday to discuss his conversation with Putin.
“I believe great progress was made with today’s telephone conversation,” Trump said.
Earlier, Trump said, "I am speaking to President Putin now. The conversation is ongoing, a lengthy one, and I will report the contents, as will President Putin, at its conclusion. Thank you for your attention to this matter!"
The call comes a day before Trump is scheduled to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the White House, Politico reported.
Trump told Zelenskyy over the weekend that he may give the Russian leader an ultimatum: Get serious about peace talks, or the US would send Ukraine long-range Tomahawk missiles in its increasing offensive against Russia.
Trump, speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on Saturday, said he might speak to Putin about the decision first, calling it a potential "big step" in the war, as per Politico.
"I might have to speak to Russia, to be honest with you, about Tomahawks. Do they want to have Tomahawks going in their direction? I don't think so," Trump said. "I think I might speak to Russia about that, in all fairness. I told that to President Zelenskyy, because Tomahawks are a new step of aggression."
The US has increased intelligence sharing with Ukraine to include information on targets deeper inside Russian territory as part of a strategic shift both countries hope will restart negotiations with Moscow that stalled after the summit between US President Donald Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin in Alaska this summer failed to produce a peace agreement, according to CNN.
Zelenskyy is expected to push Trump for additional long-range weapons capable of striking targets inside Russian territory when he meets with Trump in Washington at the White House on Friday.
Trump has indicated he is open to the idea in the days leading up to Zelenskyy's visit, underscoring how his mindset about the war has changed since the Alaska summit, as per CNN. (
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