The call to Russian leader Vladimir Putin was a top priority to clarify Moscow's intentions regarding the settlement on Ukraine, said US President Donald Trump, CNN reports. This is how he explained why he called Putin on February 12 before he spoke with Zelensky.
"Someone said that I should have called Zelensky first. I don't think so," Trump said.
According to the American president, Washington needed to find out whether Russia was ready to go to peace talks.
"I know Zelensky wants to make a deal. But now I know that Russia wants to make a deal," Trump said.
After a telephone conversation with Putin, the American leader said that they had agreed on the "immediate" start of negotiations on Ukraine. The Presidents also agreed to meet in person and invited each other to their countries.
The Kremlin said that the American president called for an early cessation of hostilities by peaceful means. Putin agreed with him that "a long-term settlement can be achieved through peaceful negotiations."
After talks with Putin, Trump contacted his Ukrainian counterpart. Later, Zelensky considered the sequence of calls "unpleasant." In his opinion, meetings of the Ukrainian and American sides remain a priority for Kiev. After such negotiations and drawing up a plan for the cessation of hostilities, "it's fair to talk to the Russians," Zelensky said.
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