Ukraine-Russia war latest: Trump says ceasefire talks will begin immediately after ‘excellent’ call with Putin – UK Times

Donald Trump has said “it would be great” for Russia and Ukraine to hold ceasefire talks at the Vatican, saying it would add extra significance to the proceedings.

Trump, describing his phone call earlier with Russian President Vladimir Putin, said he told him, “When are we going to end this, Vladimir?”

Donald Trump said he “made progress” on Monday during his call with Vladimir Putin, and that he also spoke to the heads of most European nations.

He also responded briefly to two shouted questions from reporters — if he thought Putin wanted peace, and if he thought Pope Leo could help broker it.

In both instances, he responded in the affirmative, saying: “I do.”

The Kremlin has described more details about Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin’s phone call on Monday.

Kremlin foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov stressed the warm nature of the conversation, saying the two men addressed each other by their first names and Putin congratulated Trump on the birth of his latest grandson.

“Trump said: Vladimir, you can pick up the phone at any time, I will be happy to answer, I will be happy to talk to you,” Ushakov said.

Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump discussed “impressive” prospects for ties between their two countries in a phone call on Monday, the Kremlin has said.

Kremlin foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov told reporters that the two leaders had not discussed a timeline for a ceasefire in Ukraine, but that Trump had stressed his interest in reaching agreements quickly.

“The presidents also spoke in some detail about the future of our relations, and President Trump, I can say, spoke quite emotionally about the prospects for these relations,” Ushakov said.

“He specifically emphasised that the prospects for bilateral relations after the Ukrainian conflict is resolved look impressive, and that as the president of the United States, he sees Russia as one of America’s most important partners in trade and economic matters.”

Russia has outlawed Amnesty International, designating it an “undesirable organisation” and criminalising involvement with the human rights group in the country.

This move, announced Monday by the Russian Prosecutor General’s office, further intensifies the Kremlin’s crackdown on dissent, which has escalated dramatically since the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

The ban effectively shuts down Amnesty’s operations within Russia and threatens anyone cooperating with or supporting the organisation with prosecution.

Our reporter Albert Toth has the full story: