Putin agrees with Trump to work with Ukraine on memorandum on possible peace accord

MOSCOW - Russian President Vladimir Putin, after a call with US President Donald Trump on May 19, said that Moscow was ready to work with Ukraine on a memorandum about a future peace accord and that efforts to end the war in Ukraine were on the right track.

Mr Putin thanked Mr Trump for supporting the resumption of direct talks between Moscow and Kyiv, after the two sides met in Turkey last week for their first face-to-face negotiations since March 2022. He said that Mr Trump noted Russias support for peace, though the key question was how to move towards that goal.

We have agreed with the president of the United States that Russia will propose and is ready to work with the Ukrainian side on a memorandum on a possible future peace accord, defining a number of positions, such as, for example, the principles of settlement, the timing of a possible peace agreement, Mr Putin told reporters near the Black Sea resort of Sochi.

He said that as part of this work, the two countries would have to define a possible ceasefire, including its timeframe. Ukraine, its European allies and the United States have all urged Mr Putin to accept an immediate, unconditional ceasefire lasting at least 30 days.

Mr Putin added that the holding of direct talks between Russia and Ukraine gives reason to believe that we are generally on the right track.

I would like to note that, on the whole, Russias position is clear. The main thing for us is to eliminate the root causes of this crisis, Mr Putin said. We just need to determine the most effective ways to move towards peace.

European leaders say Mr Putin is not serious about peace, though they fear Mr Trump and he may force a punitive