Phone call on the war against Ukraine Answers to the most important questions about Trump's conversation with Putin
US President Trump wants to end the Russian war of aggression quickly. However, Kremlin leader Putin has a reputation for delaying a solution. A phone call this Tuesday should bring more clarity.
18.03.2025, 05:43
18.03.2025, 06:14
dpa
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- US President Trump wants to end the Russian war of aggression quickly.
- But Kremlin boss Putin has a reputation for delaying a solution.
- A phone call today (Tuesday) should bring more clarity.
- Below you will find answers to the most important questions about the conversation.
US President Donald Trump and Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin want to talk again about a possible end to the war in Ukraine. Putin has so far reacted cautiously to a US proposal for a 30-day ceasefire. A meeting between the two heads of state is also being considered - possibly in Saudi Arabia, although no specific date has yet been set. Here are some questions and answers on what to expect from Tuesday's talks:
There have already been several talks between the Americans and Russians - what is the status so far?
A ceasefire is a long time coming. Putin declared last week that Russia was prepared in principle to end the hostilities - as proposed by Trump. However, he emphasized that conditions would have to be met first.
US special envoy Steve Witkoff traveled to Moscow again last week and spent several hours talking to the Kremlin leader, as he described on US broadcaster CNN. Witkoff evaded a question about Putin's alleged demands - including the surrender of the Ukrainian armed forces in the Russian region of Kursk, international recognition of the territories annexed by Moscow as well as a stop to Western military aid and a ban on foreign peacekeeping troops. He stated that the differences between the two sides had been narrowed and that they wanted to narrow them further - without revealing any substantive details.
According to official information, the planned conversation between Trump and Putin would be the second phone call between the two presidents since Trump took office at the end of January.
What goals and offers for Putin is Trump going into the conversation with?
Trump continues to push for a ceasefire. His course so far has put pressure on Ukraine in particular, while it remains unclear what concrete concessions he is demanding from Russia. With regard to the ongoing talks, he explained on Sunday that they concerned territorial claims and power plants, among other things. Trump spoke vaguely of a "division of certain goods". On the one hand, he said that there was a "very good chance" of ending the war. On the other hand, he said: "Maybe we will succeed. Maybe we won't."
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio emphasized on US broadcaster CBS that the first step was to stop the fighting. "It is difficult to negotiate a lasting end to a war as long as people are shooting at each other," said Rubio. Only then could all parties come to the table. It will take "concessions from both sides".
What can we make of Putin's professed willingness to find a solution to the conflict?
Ukraine and its Western allies repeatedly accuse Putin of having no interest in an end to the war and of wanting to destroy the country under attack. Russia itself is playing for time because it is on the advance - and wants to take as much territory as possible from Ukraine before a possible peace agreement is reached. Putin is also likely to be well paid by Trump for a ceasefire of any kind - for example with an end to sanctions.
The Kremlin repeatedly emphasizes its willingness for dialogue and a diplomatic solution to the conflict - but on Putin's terms. As Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said, Russia wants an ironclad guarantee that Ukraine will never become a NATO member. Moscow's basic demands also include far-reaching rights for the remaining Russian-speaking part of the Ukrainian population.
It is also clear that, from Russia's point of view, Ukraine would have to give up at least the previously occupied parts of the Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhia regions and the Black Sea peninsula of Crimea, which was annexed in 2014. However, according to the Russian newspaper "Nezavisimaya Gazeta", a compromise could consist of Putin backing down from his demand that Ukraine give up these territories completely.
How is Ukraine reacting to the talks between Washington and Moscow?
Kiev is reacting to the new situation with a mixture of adaptation and defiance. On the one hand, great consideration is being given to Washington's sensitivities and everything is being done to avoid a renewed suspension of US military aid. On the other hand, Kiev is trying to accuse Moscow of sabotaging a peace agreement and find new allies.
Despite repeated statements from the US side and also from NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte that joining the defense alliance is off the table, Ukrainian representatives continue to insist precisely on this. In an interview with the RBK-Ukraine news agency, Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha said defiantly: "Nato cannot be taken off the agenda, that is position number one." It is his country's right.
Sybiha also underlined the principle of "nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine", which has already been ignored by Washington and which calls for Kiev to be included in all talks. Sybiha also clearly rejected the disarmament of Ukraine demanded by Moscow.
What does Ukraine have to prepare for in the event of a deal between Trump and Putin?
In addition to the possible loss of a NATO perspective, the country faces difficult times financially due to the loss of US aid. According to reports, a long-delayed tax reform could now be implemented quickly in order to plug budget holes. This is likely to increase resentment among the population.
Officially, Ukraine will hardly give up its territories occupied by Russia. However, calls for the Russians to withdraw from all occupied territories have practically fallen silent. Selensky speaks less of a victory than of a just and lasting peace and security guarantees for the country.
The crucial question is how Ukraine can be protected from new Russian attacks once the fighting has ended. "Ukraine cannot live under the threat of another attack," said Selenskyj. For security, he wants a combination of NATO and EU membership, the deployment of European troops and a strong army of its own.
What is the military situation in the country?
Ukrainian troops are still under pressure along the front line, which is over 1000 kilometers long. The bridgehead in the Russian border region of Kursk is in danger of being completely lost within the next few days following the abandonment of the small town of Sudzha.
The withdrawal from Kursk also threatens to turn the mood in the country even more negative. The bold advance to Kursk in August last year was primarily justified by the hope of gaining a trump card for upcoming negotiations with Russia. This hope now seems to be proving deceptive.
And the Russian troops are trying to go on the offensive again on other supposedly quiet sections of the front. According to reports from both sides, several villages in the southern Ukrainian region of Zaporizhzhya near Orikhiv have fallen into Russian hands. The Russian side also made small territorial gains in the eastern Ukrainian region of Kharkiv.
Meanwhile, the front has been stabilized for the time being in several sections of the Donetsk region, especially near the mining town of Pokrovsk, thanks to Ukrainian troop deployments from the Kursk region. Nevertheless, after more than three years of war, the military prospects for Ukraine as a whole are currently rather bleak.