Washington, December 29, 2025 – The Europe Today: US President Donald Trump said on Sunday that he held a “good and very productive” telephone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin ahead of his scheduled meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
In a post on his social media platform, Truth Social, Trump said the call took place prior to his meeting with President Zelenskyy, scheduled for 1800 GMT, adding that the meeting would be open to the press. He did not provide further details about the contents of the conversation.
President Trump is set to host President Zelenskyy at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Palm Beach, Florida, where discussions are expected to focus on the US plan to end the nearly four-year conflict between Russia and Ukraine. Zelenskyy arrived in the United States on Saturday following a visit to neighboring Canada.
Commenting on the phone call, Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said the conversation lasted one hour and 15 minutes and was initiated by the US president. According to Ushakov, the discussion centered on the current situation surrounding the Ukrainian conflict and prospects for its resolution.
In remarks published by the Kremlin, Ushakov said President Putin underscored the importance of continuing dialogue on a settlement based on understandings reached at the Alaska summit in August, as well as during multiple contacts between Russian and US representatives.
Ushakov said both leaders broadly shared the view that a temporary ceasefire proposed by Ukraine and several European countries, under various pretexts, would only prolong the conflict and risk renewed hostilities. He added that a halt to fighting would require Kyiv to make what he described as a “bold and responsible political decision,” aligned with ongoing efforts through the Russian-American dialogue channel.
According to Ushakov, President Trump emphasized the need to end the war as quickly as possible and highlighted the significant prospects for economic cooperation between the United States and both Russia and Ukraine.
The Kremlin aide further said that Putin and Trump agreed to continue efforts to resolve the situation around Ukraine through two specially established working groups focused on security and economic issues. The launch terms for these groups are expected to be finalized in the near future, likely in early January.
Ushakov added that the two presidents also agreed to speak again following the talks between Trump and Zelenskyy.
