Trump hails 'good and productive' talks with Russia as he urges Putin to spare lives of Ukrainian troops
14 March 2025, 13:23 | Updated: 14 March 2025, 15:51
Donald Trump has hailed "good and productive" talks with Russia over ending the Ukraine war, after Vladimir Putin agreed to a phone call to discuss a ceasefire.
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The US president also said that Ukrainian troops in the Kursk region of Russia were "completely surrounded" and in a "very bad and vulnerable position".
He said that he had requested to Putin that their "lives be spared" to avoid a "horrible massacre". Ukraine has denied being surrounded in Kursk and said its troops had been pulled back.
Writing on his TruthSocial site, Mr Trump said there was "a very good chance that this horrible, bloody war can finally come to an end".
It comes after Russian president Putin said on Thursday that "questions" remain over the nature of any truce with Ukraine - despite agreeing to the "idea" of a ceasefire.
Meanwhile the G7 group of leading nations called on Russia to accept the ceasefire or face further sanctions.
Putin sets out 'impossible' terms in ceasefire deal
Writing earlier, Mr Trump said: "Crooked Joe Biden got us into a real 'mess' with Russia (and EVERYTHING ELSE!), but I'm going to get us out.
"Millions of people are needlessly dead, never to be seen again…and there will be many more to follow if we don't get the Cease Fire and Final Agreement with Russia completed and signed.
"There would have been NO WAR if I were President. It just, 100%, would not have happened."
Former Head of the Army, Sir Peter Wall, discusses ceasefire prospects
It came after Volodymyr Zelenskyy hit out at the "very manipulative" Russian president on Thursday night, after his press conference. He said on Friday that Putin wanted to extend the war.
Putin appeared to agree to the terms of the ceasefire deal in a Kremlin press conference on Thursday, before setting out a number of harsh conditions for peace that appeared to contradict any such agreement.
The list of ceasefire demands set out by Russia include guarantees that Ukraine will not receive weapons shipments from international backers or train soldiers during any 30-day pause.
He also insisted any deal should include recognition of Ukrainian territory captured by Russia, harsh limits on the size of Ukraine’s army, in addition to a full ban on Nato membership and peacekeepers on the ground.
Former US official under George Bush discusses Ukraine ceasefire with Ben Kentish
A ceasefire should lead to "an enduring peace and remove the root causes of this crisis", Putin said.
The Russian leader, who many claim has little incentive to agree to any such deal, has set out large-scale demands that many have branded 'unrealistic' in a bid to draw out negotiations.
It comes as Trump urged Putin to 'do the right thing' after Putin rejected a US-backed proposal for a 30-day ceasefire with Ukraine.
The Russian leader also claimed his nation was fully in control of the Kursk region, adding that Ukrainian troops there "have been isolated".
Putin's scepticism over the terms of a ceasefire deal with Ukraine has led many to highlight that the prolonging of any negotiations is a 'signature move' on Russia's part that has been repeated many time before.
It comes as Ukraine's president said on Thursday: "Putin, of course, is afraid to say directly to President Trump that he wants to continue this war, he wants to kill Ukrainians.
"That's why they in Moscow are framing the idea of silence with such preconditions that nothing will happen at all or that it will not happen for as long as possible."
He was speaking after Mr Putin said that he agreed with the Ukraine ceasefire proposals and that the deal should lead to a long-term peace.
However, there are "serious questions" that need to be asked about how it would be implemented, he said.
Mr Zelenskyy said in response that the Russian president's words were "very predictable".
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"As we have always said, the only one who will drag things out, the only one who will be unconstructive, is Russia," he said.
"They want a war. Putin has stolen years of peace and continues this war - day after day."
Mr Zelenskyy also said that Ukraine's allies should continue to put pressure on Putin to come to the negotiating table.
In contrast to the Ukrainian president's scepticism, Donald Trump praised Mr Putin for his "promising" remarks about he peace deal, urging Russia to "do the right thing".
Mr Trump welcomed the promising statement but insisted it was not complete.
He said it would be a "very disappointing moment for the world" if Russia rejected the proposal.
"Hopefully Russia will do the right thing," he said, adding that a peace deal "shouldn't be very complicated". The president urged both parties to get the process over with quickly.
