03/18/2025March 18, 2025
‘Long-lasting, just peace’ can be achieved with Trump’s leadership — Ukraine’s foreign minister
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said that Ukraine was not an impediment to a peace agreement with Russia and spoke of lasting peace under the leadership of US President Donald Trump.
“We are not the obstacle to achieving peace … we really expect from Russian side unconditional yes for ceasefire,” Sybiha said during a conference in New Delhi.
“Our approach: now is a time for diplomacy, for a strong diplomacy,” he said. “We also really believe that with leadership of President Trump we could achieve long-lasting, just peace.”
While Ukraine is open to diplomatic solutions, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has insisted that the sovereignty of his country is not negotiable and that Russia must relinquish the territory it has seized.
Russia annexed the Crimean Peninsula in 2014 and now controls most of four eastern Ukrainian regions since it invaded the country in 2022.
https://p.dw.com/p/4rvvw
Skip next section Trump and Putin call expected between 1300 and 1500 GMT
03/18/2025March 18, 2025
Trump and Putin call expected between 1300 and 1500 GMT
Trump and Putin are expected to talk on the phone during Moscow’s early afternoon, equivalent to the mid-morning in Washington DC.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said there was already “a certain understanding” between Trump and Putin based on a call on February 12.
“But there are also a large number of questions regarding the further normalization of our bilateral relations, and a settlement on Ukraine. All of this will have to be discussed by the two presidents,” Peskov said.
“The leaders will speak for as long as they deem necessary,” he said.
European allies and Ukraine will be watching developments closely from the sidelines.
“Many elements of a Final Agreement have been agreed to, but much remains,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform on Monday. “Thousands of young soldiers, and others, are being killed. Each week brings 2,500 soldier deaths, from both sides, and it must end NOW. I look very much forward to the call with President Putin,” Trump wrote.
https://p.dw.com/p/4rvna
Skip next section Welcome to our coverage on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine03/18/2025March 18, 2025
Welcome to our coverage on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine
The presidents of the and are due to hold talks via telephone later on Tuesday about the possibility of a peace agreement in Ukraine.
The Kremlin said that settling the matters in Ukraine will not be the only thing up for discussion with spokesman Dmitry Peskov saying talks will also deal with the normalisation of bilateral ties with the US.
On Monday, Trump said that to achieve peace between Russia and Ukraine.
Russia has also already indicated that it will not be backing down on demands that Ukraine should not become a member of the NATO security alliance.
Last week, Ukraine backed a proposed 30-day ceasefire and agreed to hold “immediate” negotiations with Russia following talks in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
This will be the second phone call between the two leaders since Trump returned to office in January.
https://p.dw.com/p/4rvhH
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