Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump had a phone call on March 18, focusing on the normalization of Russia-U.S. relations and the situation in Ukraine. The call was the second direct conversation between the two sides after their first call on Feb. 12 and is seen as a key node in whether a breakthrough can be achieved in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
What issues have been discussed?
Russia said the two sides had detailed and frank exchanges on the situation in Ukraine, and Putin put conditions on Trump's 30-day ceasefire proposal.
Russia's Kremlin website reported on March 18 that the two countries' leaders continued to have detailed and frank exchanges of views on the situation in Ukraine, which is a key point for a breakthrough.
1. Russia and Ukraine will exchange 175 captured personnel.
Vladimir Putin informed Donald Trump that Russia and Ukraine will exchange 175 captives on March 19.
Putin said that Russia supports the peaceful resolution of the conflict and is ready to work with its U.S. partners to develop a feasible mediation program, which should be comprehensive, stable, and long-term in nature, taking into account the absolute necessity of eliminating the root causes of the crisis and the legitimate interests of Russia in the security sphere.
2. Russia supports the proposal that Russia and Ukraine should refrain from attacking each other's energy infrastructure for 30 days.
During the talks, Trump proposed that Russia and Ukraine commit to each other not to attack each other's energy infrastructure within 30 days.
Vladimir Putin responded positively to this initiative and immediately issued a relevant order to the Russian military.
3. The Russian side emphasized that the key prerequisite for resolving the Russian-Ukrainian issue is the cessation of military aid to Ukraine.
During the call, in response to the U.S. proposal for a 30-day ceasefire, the Russian side emphasized several key conditions: the need for effective monitoring of the ceasefire on all fronts, and a halt to coercive mobilization and rearming of armed forces in Ukraine. At the same time, the Russians pointed out a significant risk of a breach of trust on the part of the Ukrainian regime, which has repeatedly jeopardized existing agreements. Particular attention was drawn to the "barbaric terrorist acts" committed by Ukrainian militants against civilians in the Kursk region.
The Russian side emphasized that the key prerequisite for preventing the escalation of the conflict and promoting a political-diplomatic solution is the complete cessation of foreign military assistance and intelligence support to the Ukrainian side.
4. Russia says it will treat Ukrainian soldiers humanely if they surrender.
In response to Trump's recent call to preserve the lives of the besieged Ukrainian soldiers in the Kursk region, Putin said Russia is willing to uphold the principle of humanitarianism and is committed to guaranteeing the right to life of the Ukrainian soldiers and providing them with humane treatment by the Russian law and the norms of the international law in the event of their surrender.
5. Russia agrees to start talks on Black Sea shipping safety initiative
Vladimir Putin gave a constructive response to Trump's initiative on Black Sea shipping security.
The two sides agreed to start talks on the initiative to work out its details.
6. Russia and the US will strengthen bilateral cooperation and global security collaboration
During the conversation, the sides expressed their common desire to normalize bilateral relations in the context of Russia's and the United States' special responsibility for world security and stability. The sides discussed a range of ideas aimed at promoting future mutually beneficial cooperation in the economic and energy spheres.
Trump supported Putin's proposal to organize Russian-American ice hockey matches in the United States and Russia featuring NHL and KHL players.
Putin and Trump also discussed other international issues, including the situation in the Middle East and the Red Sea. The two sides will work together to stabilize the situation in the crisis zone and strengthen cooperation on nuclear non-proliferation and global security issues.
The presidents agreed to maintain communication on all issues discussed.
U.S. says both sides agree on need to end Russia-Ukraine conflict, improve U.S.-Russia bilateral relations
On March 18, local time, the U.S. White House released a statement saying that U.S. President Trump spoke with Russian President Putin on that day, and that the two sides talked about the need for peace and a cease-fire in the Ukraine conflict, and that they both agreed that the conflict needs to end with a lasting peace. Both sides also emphasized the need to improve bilateral relations between the United States and Russia.
The statement said that the Russian-Ukrainian conflict should never have begun and should have ended long ago with sincere and good-faith peace efforts. The two leaders agreed that peace would begin with a cease-fire on energy and infrastructure, as well as technical negotiations on the implementation of a maritime cease-fire in the Black Sea, a comprehensive cease-fire and a permanent peace. The statement said that these negotiations will start in the Middle East.
The two sides further discussed the need to stop the proliferation of strategic weapons and will work with other countries to ensure that they are implemented as widely as possible.
Trump: Conversation 'very good and productive'
After the call, Trump said in a post on his social media platform Truth Social that his phone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin was "very good and productive."
He said the two sides agreed that Russia and Ukraine would both abandon their proposals to attack each other's energy infrastructure and that they would work quickly to achieve a comprehensive ceasefire that would ultimately end the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
Trump said the two sides discussed many elements of a peace deal and that both Putin and Ukrainian President Zelensky want to end the war.
Zelensky confirms captives exchange with Russia
On March 18 local time, Zelensky said that he was looking forward to speaking with U.S. President Donald Trump and hoped to learn from Trump the details of his conversation with Putin.
Ukraine supports U.S. proposal to stop strikes against energy facilities
According to Zelensky, Ukraine will support the U.S. proposal to stop strikes on energy facilities. But if Russia strikes Ukraine's energy facilities, Ukraine will respond.
He said that Putin asked Trump to weaken Ukraine as much as possible. In addition, Zelensky said, about the situation in Kursk, "The Ukrainian military are there and they will be there as long as we need this operation."
Zelensky also confirmed that a prisoner exchange between Ukraine and Russia was imminent.
'Russia needs to show sincerity'
In an interview with the media on the night of March 18, Zelensky commented on the preliminary information about Trump's phone call with Putin and the prospects for a possible push to end the conflict.
According to him, Ukraine is ready to take the necessary steps, but for now, Russia needs to show sincerity. Zelensky believes it is Russia that needs to and is still delaying the conflict.
Zelensky says negotiations without Ukrainian participation won't be fruitful
Zelensky said that he has not yet spoken to the US President, and only after the call will it be clear which proposals will be supported.
He emphasized that the negotiations on the Ukrainian issue would not be fruitful without the participation of Ukraine.
Zelensky also hoped that Trump would realize that Russia was planning to launch an offensive in the direction of Zaporizhzhia, eastern Ukraine, Kharkiv, and Sumy, to maximize pressure on Ukraine, and then present an ultimatum forcefully.
Previously, the US and Russia had frequent high-level contacts to pave the way for the Head of State's call.
Since the first call in February, the U.S. and Russia have intensively launched several rounds of diplomatic contacts:
Ice-breaking call: On Feb. 12, Trump and Putin had a 1.5-hour conversation for the two sides to resolve the Russian-Ukrainian conflict talks.
U.S.-Russian consensus in Saudi Arabia: On Feb. 18, a U.S.-Russian delegation reached an agreement in Saudi Arabia, including the establishment of a consultation mechanism, pushing for the end of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, and resuming the operation of the diplomatic mission.
Temporary ceasefire proposal: On March 11, the U.S.-Ukrainian delegation in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, reached an agreement on a 30-day temporary ceasefire in exchange for the resumption of U.S. military assistance to Ukraine, and on March 13, U.S. Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff made a visit to Russia and held closed-door talks with Putin for about four hours. While agreeing in principle, the Russians emphasized the need to ensure "long-term peace" rather than a respite.
U.S.-Russian Foreign Minister phone call: On March 15, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov to discuss the next steps in ending the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. A series of intensive high-level interactions laid the groundwork for this call between the U.S. and Russian heads of state and demonstrated the willingness of both sides to move forward in resolving the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
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