Trump spoke about Putin's reaction to the proposal for a truce with Ukraine

During a telephone conversation with Russian Leader Vladimir Putin, US President Donald Trump mentioned the possibility of a truce, but his interlocutor stressed the need for a permanent ceasefire. The Republican told reporters about this at the White House, Reuters reports.

"He wants peace now. He doesn't want it to end, and then the fighting will continue again in six months," Trump said, noting that he considers it achievable to stop the fire in the "near future."

The American president said that he would continue to communicate with Putin by phone, and also plans to meet with him in Saudi Arabia is in the "not too distant future." In addition, mutual visits of the two leaders are expected, he added. Regarding the presence of Volodymyr Zelensky at these meetings, Trump said: "we will probably have the first meeting, and then we will see what we can do with the second meeting."

When asked whether he would support the cession of territories by Kiev or the exchange of them, the American president replied that Zelensky "will have to do what he has to do."

Both Moscow and Kiev have repeatedly opposed freezing the conflict.

On February 12, Trump spoke by phone first with Putin and then with Zelensky. According to the Republican, they agreed with Putin on the "immediate start of negotiations." He stated that both leaders want peace.

Putin in the conversation "mentioned the need to eliminate the root causes" of the conflict, and also "supported one of the main theses of the head of the American state that the time has come for our countries to work together," the Kremlin said.

Also, the leaders of Russia and the United States agreed on joint work and plans for mutual visits.

The head of the office of the Ukrainian president, Andriy Yermak, after the conversation between Trump and Zelensky, said that the parties "agreed to start the work of teams on the issues of a fair conclusion" of the conflict.