Trump and Putin will discuss resolving the war in Ukraine on Tuesday

In Moscow, U.S. President Donald Trump said that he will meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday to discuss resolving the war in Ukraine.

On an Air Force One journey returning to the Washington region from Florida, Trump told reporters, “We want to see if we can bring that war to an end.” “I believe our chances are quite good, but we might not be able to.

On Tuesday, I will be meeting with President Putin. Over the weekend, a lot of work has been accomplished.

Russia is getting closer to removing Ukrainian forces from their months-old stronghold in the western Russian region of Kursk, while Trump is attempting to gain Putin’s backing for a 30-day truce proposal that Ukraine agreed last week. Throughout the weekend, both sides continued to exchange significant aircraft strikes.

Trump stated, “We’ll be talking about land,” in response to a question about what concessions are being discussed in ceasefire talks. We’re going to discuss electricity plants. Right now, we’re discussing the division of some assets.

Though he did not provide further details, Trump was probably alluding to the largest nuclear reactor in Europe, located in the Russian-occupied region of Zaporizhzhia in Ukraine. The acts of Russia and Ukraine have been accused of putting the plant at risk of an accident.

Trump’s comments on land and power plants were not addressed by Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov, who announced Monday that Putin will talk to Trump over the phone.

According to the Kremlin on Friday, Putin communicated his ceasefire proposal to Trump through U.S. ambassador Steve Witkoff, who met with Trump in Moscow and expressed “cautious optimism” that an agreement could be achieved to put an end to the three-year battle.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Trump’s National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, and Witkoff all made separate appearances on Sunday TV shows in the United States, stressing that obstacles must be overcome before Russia consents to a ceasefire, let alone a definitive peaceful end to the conflict.

Waltz said, “We have to ask ourselves, is it in our national interest?” in response to an ABC question on whether the United States would accept a peace agreement that would allow Russia to retain Ukrainian land it has captured. Is it attainable? Will we forcibly remove all Russians from every square inch of Ukrainian territory?

He stated that “endless warfare” and even World War Three were the alternatives to reaching agreements on land and other matters. “We can talk about what is right or wrong but also have to talk about the reality of the situation on the ground,” he added.

THE “IRONCLAD” GUARANTEES

After Kyiv agreed to the U.S. proposal for a 30-day interim truce, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy stated Friday that he saw a good chance to halt the Russian war.

Zelenskiy has insisted, however, that Russia must give up the territory it has taken and that his nation’s sovereignty cannot be compromised. Since its invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Russia has dominated the majority of the country’s four eastern regions, including the Crimea peninsula, which it took in 2014.

To far, Zelenskiy has not publicly addressed Waltz’s comments.

In comments released on Monday, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko told Russian media outlet Izvestia that he would seek “ironclad” assurances in any peace agreement that Kyiv will not be admitted to NATO and that Ukraine will maintain its neutrality. Grushko did not mention the ceasefire proposal.

As stated by Grushko, “We will demand that ironclad security guarantees become part of this agreement,” according to Izvestia.

In Ukraine, Putin claims he is defending Russia’s national security against what he portrays as a belligerent and hostile West, specifically NATO’s eastward encroachment. Russia is engaging in an unprovoked campaign of aggression and an imperial-style territory grab, according to Ukraine and its Western allies.

Moscow has insisted on Ukraine abandoning its NATO aspirations, allowing Russia to maintain authority over all occupied Ukrainian land, and limiting the strength of the Ukrainian army. Additionally, Kyiv claims that a presidential election in Ukraine is premature while martial law is in effect, and it wants Western sanctions to be lifted.

According to Kaja Kallas, the head of the European Union’s foreign policy, Moscow’s demands for a ceasefire demonstrate that it is not genuinely interested in peace.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced on Saturday that defense officials will finalize “robust plans” next week as part of a stepped-up effort by Western allies other than the United States to defend Ukraine in the case of a ceasefire with Russia.

In order to oversee any truce in Ukraine, both France and Britain have stated that they would be prepared to send a peacekeeping mission.

Peacekeepers have been rejected by Russia till the end of the conflict.

“If they appear there, it means that they are deployed in the conflict zone with all the consequences for these contingents as parties to the conflict,” Grushko of Russia said.

“We can discuss non-combatant observers, a civilian mission that would oversee the execution of specific provisions of this agreement, or assurance systems. Meanwhile, it’s nothing more than hot air.