WEST PALM BEACH, Florida, USA (AP) — Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin are expected to speak this week as the United States tries to mediate a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine.
The information was confirmed this Sunday by the special envoy of the U.S. President, Steve Witkoff.
It would be the second call known between the two leaders since Trump began his second term in January. They spoke in February and agreed to start high-level talks to end the war in Ukraine.
“I think the two presidents are going to have a really good and positive discussion this week,” Witkoff said on CNN’s “State of the Union” program.
Witkoff met with Putin in Russia this week for talks aimed at ending the country’s invasion of Ukraine and said he hopes to see an agreement soon.
“The president is using a timeframe of weeks and I do not disagree with him. I am truly hopeful that we are going to see real progress here,” stated Witkoff.
When Witkoff later appeared on CBS’s “Face the Nation,” he once again talked about a possible call between Putin and Trump, but did not offer details on what decisions could be made following the discussion.
Witkoff said they forged a relationship during the first Trump administration and he hopes that this week’s call will be “very positive and constructive.”
Trump’s first call to Putin occurred after Witkoff traveled to Russia to bring back Marc Fogel, an American history professor who was unjustly detained, according to the United States.
One day after the prisoner exchange, Trump announced that he spoke with Putin and said that their call was “long and very productive.”
Witkoff avoided commenting on whether Putin and Trump will decide on the call to move forward with the 30-day ceasefire proposed by the United States. Kiev has accepted the agreement. Putin has said that he agrees in principle with the proposal, but there are details that need to be worked out.
“President Trump is the ultimate decision-maker, our decision-maker, and President Putin, for the country of Russia, is their decision-maker,” Witkoff said. “I think it’s a very positive sign that the two are talking at some point. I think that shows there is a positive momentum.”
Witkoff also dismissed a recent assessment by French President Emmanuel Macron, who said in a statement that Russia “does not seem to be sincerely seeking peace” and that Putin was escalating the fighting before negotiating.
Witkoff said he was not aware of Macron’s comments, but stated: “It is unfortunate when people make that kind of assessment” when “they do not necessarily have first-hand knowledge.”
“I know what I heard, the body language I witnessed,” Witkoff said about his meeting with Putin. “I saw a constructive effort, over a long period of time, to discuss the details of what is happening on the ground.”