White House Urges Trump to Delay Call with Putin Until Ukraine Ceasefire Agreement is in Place

Officials from the White House have advised U.S. President Donald Trump to refrain from engaging in discussions with Russia’s Vladimir Putin until the Kremlin shows commitment to implementing a comprehensive ceasefire in Ukraine, as reported by NBC News on Friday, citing two sources from the administration.

Since February, Trump and Putin have already conducted at least two phone conversations. The U.S. president mentioned on Sunday that he intends to speak with Putin again this week, aiming to foster improved relations with Russia and potentially arrange a face-to-face meeting.

NBC noted that the White House cautioned Trump that he might “suddenly” choose to reach out to Putin, even though it is not advisable to hold such a discussion without a definite commitment from Russia regarding a ceasefire in Ukraine.

Earlier this week, Trump voiced his irritation with Putin due to his hesitance to agree to a more extensive ceasefire arrangement. Currently, no formal accord has been established, and both Ukraine and Russia have accused one another of breaching a limited ceasefire on energy infrastructure attacks.

Additionally, NBC reported that Kirill Dmitriev, Putin’s special envoy for international economic and investment cooperation, met with officials from the Trump administration and Republican lawmakers at the White House on Thursday evening.

At Trump’s urging, Dmitriev talked about the terms of a ceasefire and Putin’s requirements with Republican Senators Lindsey Graham and Markwayne Mullin, NBC stated.

“I believe there is a mutual understanding of how we can proceed towards finalizing the agreement,” Dmitriev communicated to CNN on Thursday, although he acknowledged that many differences still exist.