The White House issued a statement following a telephone conversation between Trump and Putin.

The White House released a statement following a telephone conversation between the Presidents of the United States and Russia Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin.

The statement was published on the social network by White House spokeswoman Caroline Leavitt.

"Today, President Trump and President Putin spoke about the need for peace and a cease-fire on Ukraine. Both leaders agreed that this conflict should end in lasting peace. They also stressed the need to improve bilateral relations between the United States and Russia. The blood and money that Ukraine and Russia is spending on this war, it would be better to spend on the needs of its peoples.

This conflict should never have started and should have been stopped a long time ago with the help of sincere and conscientious peace efforts. The leaders agreed that the movement towards peace will begin with a cease-fire in energy and infrastructure, as well as with technical negotiations on the implementation of a maritime truce in the Black Sea, a complete cease-fire and permanent peace. These negotiations will begin immediately in the Middle East.

The leaders generally talked about the Middle East as a region of potential cooperation to prevent future conflicts. They also discussed the need to stop the proliferation of strategic weapons and intend to work with other parties to ensure the widest possible application of these measures. The two leaders share the view that Iran should never be able to destroy Israel.

The leaders of the two countries agreed that the future is with the improvement of bilateral relations between the United States and Russia has great prospects. This includes huge economic deals and geopolitical stability after peace is achieved," the statement said, quoted by UNIAN.