Trump and Putin to Hold Ceasefire Talks This Week

March 17, 2025 | 11:27 am

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Donald Trump's envoy, Steve Witkoff, stated on Sunday that he expects the President of the United States to speak with Russian leader Vladimir Putin this week. As reported by Mint, both are expected to discuss ways to end the three-year-old war in Ukraine.

Witkoff told CNN after his positive talks with Putin in Moscow that he hopes for real progress in ending the conflict.

“I expect that there’ll be a call with both presidents this week. And we’re also continuing to engage and have conversation with the Ukrainians,” he said.

He added that the conversation between Trump and Putin will be "very good and positive."

Witkoff said that despite the very complicated situation in the field, "We are bridging the gap between both sides."

Witkoff met with Putin in Moscow last week to discuss a ceasefire proposal with Ukraine. However, Putin rejected the U.S. call for an immediate ceasefire. Instead, several issues still need resolution.

Ukraine agreed to the terms of the ceasefire agreement in an early meeting with Witkoff and other U.S. officials in Saudi Arabia.

However, Witkoff said about his conversation with Putin, “was positive, it was a solution-based discussion,” he said. He believes that Putin "accepts the philosophy of President Trump."

Trump “really expects there to be some sort of deal in the coming weeks and I believe that’s the case,” said Witkoff.

Trump's push for a ceasefire has been controversial, sparking anger in Kyiv and across Europe that the U.S. may be trying to force Ukraine to surrender to Russia. The U.S. President has pressed Ukraine with pauses in arms deliveries and intelligence sharing.

Trump, who called Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky a "dictator," said Ukraine is tougher to deal with than Russia. And senior U.S. officials said there is a need to talk to both sides to bring peace to the battlefield after three years of war.

On Friday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Putin had asked Witkoff to convey a message to Trump before a possible phone call. He added there was "cautious optimism" about the prospects for a ceasefire agreement, according to the Interfax news agency.

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