Trump says U.S. had productive discussions with Putin, war in Ukraine could end

Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, and U.S. President Donald Trump.
| Photo Credit: AP

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Friday (March 14, 2025) there is a “very good chance” the war between Russia and Ukraine can end after productive discussions with President Vladimir Putin of Russia on Thursday (March 13, 2025).

“We had very good and productive discussions with President Vladimir Putin of Russia yesterday, and there is a very good chance that this horrible, bloody war can finally come to an end,” Mr. Trump said in a Truth Social post, adding that he had requested that Mr. Putin spare the lives of “completely surrounded” Ukrainian troops.

U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff had a long meeting with Mr. Putin in Moscow on Thursday night (March 13, 2025), a source briefed on the matter, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said.

The Truth Social post did not say whether Mr. Trump and Mr. Putin had spoken to each other.

However, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Mr. Putin had used the meeting to convey “signals” to Mr. Trump through Mr. Witkoff. He said Russia and the U.S. would work out the timing of a phone call between their presidents once Mr. Witkoff had briefed Mr. Trump.

The U.S. President has said he wants Moscow and Kyiv to agree a swift ceasefire to pause fighting in a conflict which he has warned has the potential to spiral into World War Three and has already cost many lives on both sides.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt clarified to reporters that Trump had not spoken to Putin himself on Thursday.

The Kremlin said earlier it was “cautiously optimistic” a deal could be reached, but that Trump and Putin needed to speak directly before talks could progress.

In Kyiv, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Putin of trying to “sabotage diplomacy” after the Russian leader said he had “serious questions” over how a ceasefire would work.

“He is now doing everything he can to sabotage diplomacy by setting extremely difficult and unacceptable conditions right from the start even before a ceasefire,” Zelensky said in a post on X.