WASHINGTON, March 17 (Alliance News): US President Donald Trump has announced plans to speak with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday in an effort to negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine.
The remarks came after a weekend of positive discussions between US and Russian officials in Moscow.
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One during his return from Florida, Trump expressed optimism about the potential for peace, saying, “We want to see if we can bring that war to an end.
Maybe we can, maybe we can’t, but I think we have a very good chance. I’ll be speaking to President Putin on Tuesday. A lot of work’s been done over the weekend.”
The US president is pushing for Putin’s backing on a 30-day ceasefire proposal that Ukraine has already accepted.
However, despite diplomatic efforts, hostilities remain intense, with both sides continuing heavy aerial strikes. Russian forces have also advanced further into the western Russian region of Kursk, increasing the urgency for diplomatic negotiations.
There was no immediate response from the Kremlin regarding Trump’s planned discussions, but Moscow has previously shown measured interest in ceasefire talks.
On Friday, the Kremlin confirmed that Putin had sent a message to Trump through US envoy Steve Witkoff, expressing “cautious optimism” about the possibility of a ceasefire agreement.
However, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko made it clear that any long-term peace deal must come with “ironclad” guarantees ensuring Ukraine’s neutrality and permanent exclusion from Nato membership.
In an interview with Russian media outlet Izvestia, Grushko insisted that Russia’s security concerns must be addressed before any lasting peace agreement can be reached.
“We will demand that ironclad security guarantees become part of this agreement. Part of these guarantees should be the neutral status of Ukraine, the refusal of Nato countries to accept it into the alliance,” he stated.
Putin has long maintained that Russia’s military incursion into Ukraine was provoked by Nato’s eastward expansion, which he views as a direct threat to Russian security.
He has made it clear that any ceasefire or peace deal must allow Russia to retain control over all Ukrainian territory it has seized, while also requiring Ukraine to limit the size of its military. Additionally, Putin wants Western sanctions eased and a Ukrainian presidential election held, though Kyiv argues that such an election is impossible while martial law remains in effect.
Meanwhile, US officials have acknowledged that significant obstacles remain before a ceasefire deal can be finalized.
In separate television appearances on Sunday, National Security Adviser Mike Waltz, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and other top officials stressed that while talks are moving forward, real challenges still exist.
When asked whether the US would support a deal allowing Russia to keep occupied Ukrainian territories, Waltz responded, “Are we going to drive every Russian off of every inch of Ukrainian soil?” He further emphasized that negotiations must be based on “reality” rather than idealistic expectations.
Rubio, echoing this sentiment, remarked that achieving a lasting peace agreement would require “concessions from both Russia and Ukraine.”
He also noted that genuine peace talks would remain difficult to initiate “as long as they’re shooting at each other.”
For Ukraine, the stakes remain high. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, while supporting the temporary ceasefire as a potential step toward peace, has remained firm that Ukraine’s sovereignty is non-negotiable.
He continues to insist that Russia must return all territories it has seized, including Crimea, which was annexed by Moscow in 2014, as well as the four eastern Ukrainian regions that have been under Russian control since the 2022 invasion.
Despite agreeing to the US-backed 30-day ceasefire, Kyiv remains wary of Russia’s long-term intentions.
As diplomatic discussions unfold, Western allies have voiced their support for a negotiated peace process but have also warned against any arrangement that undermines Ukraine’s sovereignty.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer revealed that UK and French defense chiefs are already preparing for a possible peacekeeping mission to monitor a ceasefire. However, Russia has strongly opposed any such move, dismissing the idea as an unwarranted interference by Nato-aligned forces.
Russian officials have made it clear that they would view any Western peacekeeping force in Ukraine as an act of provocation. Deputy Foreign Minister Grushko warned that “it does not matter under what label Nato contingents were to be deployed: be it the European Union, Nato, or in a national capacity.
If they appear there, it means they are deployed in the conflict zone with all the consequences that entails.” Instead, he suggested that any monitoring should be conducted by unarmed civilian observers, rather than armed peacekeepers.
Despite Moscow’s resistance, France and Britain remain open to the idea of sending a peacekeeping mission, arguing that such a decision should be made by Kyiv, not Moscow. French President Emmanuel Macron, in remarks published on Sunday, insisted that the presence of international peacekeepers in Ukraine should be Ukraine’s choice, not dictated by Russia.
Trump’s upcoming conversation with Putin is expected to be a pivotal moment in these negotiations.
With Ukraine having already accepted the US-backed ceasefire proposal, the pressure is now on Russia to respond. However, with ongoing military operations, territorial disputes, and Nato concerns still unresolved, it remains uncertain whether a long-term peace settlement can be reached.
The coming days will reveal whether this ceasefire initiative is a step toward peace or just another failed attempt at diplomacy.
