Trump Says He Discussed Ukraine Ceasefire With Putin

U.S. President Donald Trump said on April 29 that he discussed a possible ceasefire in Ukraine with Russian President Vladimir Putin during a recent phone call.

Trump made the comments to reporters while greeting Artemis II astronauts in the Oval Office. The Kremlin had reported earlier that the leaders talked about a temporary truce to mark the May 9 anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe.

“We had a good talk, I’ve known him a long time,” Trump said. “I had a long talk with President Putin. I suggested a little bit of a ceasefire and I think he might do that. He might announce something having to do with it.”

Trump said the call lasted more than 1 1/2 hours and was focused on Ukraine.

“We only talked about Ukraine,” he said. “And I talked a little bit about Iran. I talked about a few different subjects, mostly about Ukraine. And we had a very good conversation. I think we’re going to come up with a solution relatively quickly. I hope.

“Even if it’s a little ceasefire, there’s so many people being killed. It’s so ridiculous.”

Trump also described Ukraine’s military situation as defeated.

“I think Ukraine militarily, they’re defeated,” he said. “OK? Military … their navy … 159 ships. Every ship is right now underwater … their air force … every one of their airplanes has been shot down … missiles, about 82 percent are gone … drones and most of them are gone.”

The president said he told Putin that he wanted the Ukraine war ended before accepting any Russian help on Iran’s enriched uranium.

“I said, before you help me, I want to end your war,” Trump said.

Recent U.S.–Russia diplomacy on Ukraine has centered on incremental steps to reduce fighting while pursuing a broader deal.

The White House and Kremlin described the latest call as friendly and businesslike.

Putin’s aide Yuri Ushakov said Trump reacted positively to the temporary ceasefire idea tied to the May 9 Victory Day observances in Russia.

Trump has long criticized Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for resisting deals with Russia and has praised his rapport with Putin, noting that they speak regularly. Their last publicly reported call was March 9.

Putin in March 2025 agreed to a limited ceasefire on energy and infrastructure targets after a call with Trump, with both sides saying they would work quickly toward a complete agreement.

By May 2025, Trump announced plans to call both Putin and Zelenskyy the same day in a push to end the violence, writing that he was hoping that “a ceasefire will take place, and this very violent war will end.”

Trump traveled to Alaska in August 2025 for an in-person summit with Putin to discuss ending the war. There, Trump warned of “very severe consequences” if Putin refused to halt the conflict. The meeting followed months of phone diplomacy aimed at breaking the deadlock.

Negotiations continued into December 2025, when the Kremlin described U.S.–Ukrainian talks on a peace plan as “proceeding constructively” despite some European adjustments to proposals.

Reuters contributed to this report.