Putin and Trump trust each other – Kremlin
Russian President Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart, Donald Trump, trust each other, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said regarding the two leaders’ phone conversation on Tuesday.
During the call, which lasted more than two hours, the two heads of state discussed the resolution of the Ukraine conflict, with Putin responding positively to a 30-day ceasefire proposed earlier by Trump and agreeing to halt attacks on the country’s energy infrastructure as an initial step in that direction. On top of that, the Russian and US presidents reportedly discussed the situation in the Middle East.
Speaking to Russian media on Wednesday, Peskov stated, “I can say with a high degree of confidence that Presidents Putin and Trump understand each other well, trust each other, and intend to proceed step-by-step along the path of normalizing Russian-US relations.”
According to the Kremlin spokesman, “both today and tomorrow, there will be additional arrangements of concrete dates for next contacts as well as the makeup [of the delegations].” He promised to reveal more details once Moscow and Washington have agreed on these specifics.
Peskov told reporters that given the legacy left behind by the previous administration in Washington, getting relations back on track is a labor-intensive task. However, the two presidents’ “strong will” provides grounds for optimism, the official stated.
According to Peskov, the two presidents discussed Western weapons deliveries to Ukraine, which will “top the agenda of any contacts” on resolving the conflict. However, given its sensitivity, the issue will not be discussed publicly for the time being, the official stressed.
President Putin also conveyed some other “nuances in the context of a potential ceasefire” to his US colleague, the Kremlin spokesman revealed.
Peskov concluded that Moscow is “closely watching whether the Kiev regime will heed the strong determination of the Russian and US presidents to do everything possible” to settle the conflict peacefully.
According to the Kremlin’s readout of the March 18 call, Putin “immediately” ordered Russian troops to halt attacks on Ukraine’s energy sites following the conversation, and also responded “favorably” to the maritime truce proposal, with specific details to be worked out in further talks.
Commenting on the talks in a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump wrote that the peace process “is now in full force and effect.”
Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky stated on Tuesday that he supports a maritime ceasefire and a moratorium on strikes against energy facilities, pending further details from the US.
