Kathrine Frich
Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin have maintained an unusually complex relationship throughout the war in Ukraine.
Earlier this year, the two leaders met in Alaska in a rare face to face encounter that drew global attention.
The meeting was seen by analysts as an effort to reopen direct communication channels between Washington and Moscow as the war dragged on.
Since then, Trump has continued speaking with the Russian president while pushing for negotiations aimed at ending the conflict.
Their latest conversation again touched on the war in Ukraine and broader global tensions.
Trump describes call as “very good”
Speaking to reporters, Trump said the call included several officials from both countries and described the conversation as productive.
One of the main topics was Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine, which Trump described as a conflict driven by deep hostility between the leaders of the two countries.
“We talked about Ukraine. It’s just an endless struggle… There’s a lot of hatred between President Putin and President Zelenskyy. They just can’t seem to reach an agreement,” Trump said.
Despite the tensions surrounding the conflict, Trump said the overall discussion was positive.
Trump urges Putin to end the war
Trump also said the two leaders discussed the situation in the Middle East during the call.
According to the US president, Putin indicated he wanted to help address the crisis in the region. Trump responded that ending the war in Ukraine would be a more meaningful step.
“We talked about the Middle East, of course. And he wants to be helpful. I said, ‘You could be even more helpful if you ended the war between Ukraine and Russia. That would be more helpful,’” Trump said.
He added that Putin appeared willing to act “very constructively” following the discussion.
Peace talks face delays
Ukraine, the United States and Russia have held several rounds of trilateral negotiations in 2026 aimed at finding a path toward ending the war.
While discussions have produced some limited progress, key disagreements remain, particularly over the status of territories including the Donbas region.
A fourth round of talks had been planned for early March in Abu Dhabi but was postponed due to escalating tensions in the Middle East.
Earlier negotiations hosted by the United Arab Emirates resulted in an agreement to exchange 157 prisoners of war from each side, alongside discussions about possible ceasefire mechanisms and monitoring systems.
Sources: United24 Media, Reuters
