‘We’re moving in the right direction’ Putin summarizes his two-hour May 19 phone call with Trump
by Matt Margolis, PJMedia.com, May 19, 2025In a remarkable development that could signal a turning point in the war in Eastern Europe, President Donald Trump revealed Monday that he held a two-hour phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin, and what came out of it could reshape the future of the region.
“Just completed my two hour call with President Vladimir Putin of Russia,” Trump announced on Truth Social. “I believe it went very well.”
According to Trump, the call wasn’t just diplomatic pleasantries — it led to a major breakthrough. “Russia and Ukraine will immediately start negotiations toward a Ceasefire and, more importantly, an END to the War,” Trump said. The groundwork has been laid for direct talks between Moscow and Kyiv, with Trump emphasizing that the two nations will handle the negotiations themselves. “The conditions for that will be negotiated between the two parties, as it can only be, because they know details of a negotiation that nobody else would be aware of.”
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) May 19, 2025
Trump described the tone of the conversation with Putin as highly constructive: “The tone and spirit of the conversation were excellent. If it wasn’t, I would say so now, rather than later.”
Looking beyond the war, Trump indicated that economic opportunities could be a major incentive for peace. “Russia wants to do largescale TRADE with the United States when this catastrophic ‘bloodbath’ is over, and I agree,” he said. “There is a tremendous opportunity for Russia to create massive amounts of jobs and wealth. Its potential is UNLIMITED.” And Ukraine, he said, would benefit immensely from new trade opportunities in the aftermath of war. “Likewise, Ukraine can be a great beneficiary on Trade, in the process of rebuilding its Country.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin released this statement about the call with Trump:
Good evening. My colleagues asked me to say a few words about the outcome of our phone conversation with the president of the United States. This conversation did, in fact, take place and lasted more than two hours. I would like to emphasize that it was a very substantive and quite candid discussion, and overall, in my view, very useful in this regard.
First and foremost, I thanked the U.S. president for the support of the U.S. in resuming direct negotiations between Russia and Ukraine on the possible conclusion of a peace agreement, as well as for the resumption of talks that, as is well known, were broken off by the Ukrainian side in 2022.
The U.S. president expressed his position regarding a cessation of hostilities and a ceasefire, and also acknowledged that Russia likewise favors a peaceful settlement of the Ukrainian crisis. We simply need to identify the most effective paths toward peace.
We agreed with the U.S. president that Russia will propose and is ready to work with the Ukrainian side on a memorandum concerning a possible future peace treaty. This would outline several provisions, including a framework for resolution, the timeline for potentially concluding a peace agreement, and other relevant details, such as the possibility of a temporary ceasefire if corresponding agreements are reached.
Incidentally, contacts between participants at the Istanbul meeting and negotiations have resumed, which gives us reason to believe we’re largely moving in the right direction.
Once again, I want to stress that it was a very constructive exchange, and I consider it to have been very valuable. Of course, the real question is whether the Russian and Ukrainian sides can demonstrate a strong commitment to peace and find compromises that are acceptable to all parties.
At the same time, I want to emphasize that, overall, Russia’s position is clear: our main objective is to eliminate the root causes of this crisis. If further clarification is needed, I apologize — [my press secretary,] Mr. [Dmitry] Peskov, and my aide, Mr. [Yuri] Ushakov, will go over the details of our phone conversation with President Trump a bit later.
Trump said the negotiations between Russia and Ukraine would begin “immediately” and that key world leaders had been informed. “I have so informed President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, of Ukraine, Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, President Emmanuel Macron, of France, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, of Italy, Chancellor Friedrich Merz, of Germany, and President Alexander Stubb, of Finland, during a call with me, immediately after the call with President Putin.”
And in a notable twist, Trump said the Vatican has expressed a willingness to host the talks. “The Vatican, as represented by the Pope, has stated that it would be very interested in hosting the negotiations.”
READ: Zelensky rules out ceasefire if Russia insists on Ukrainian retreat from occupied regions
After years of escalating bloodshed, failed ceasefires, and ineffective diplomacy under previous administrations, President Trump may have just pulled off the first real breakthrough. “Let the process begin!” he concluded.
