U.S. President Donald Trump is set to speak with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday as diplomatic efforts continue to address the war in Ukraine.
Trump announced the scheduled call to reporters aboard Air Force One on Sunday evening while traveling from Florida to Washington. The Kremlin confirmed Putin’s participation on Monday morning.
“We will see if we have something to announce maybe by Tuesday. I will be speaking to President Putin on Tuesday,” Trump said. “A lot of work’s been done over the weekend. We want to see if we can bring that war to an end.”
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed the call but declined to provide details, stating that the content of discussions between the two leaders would not be disclosed in advance.
European allies have expressed concerns over Trump’s approach to Russia and his stance toward Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who faced criticism during a recent visit to the Oval Office.
Despite Russia’s failure to overthrow Ukraine following its invasion three years ago, it continues to control significant portions of the country. Trump indicated that territorial divisions and power plants would be part of the discussions.
“We will be talking about land. We will be talking about power plants,” he said, referring to negotiations over certain assets.
Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, recently traveled to Moscow to advance talks.
Russia annexed four Ukrainian regions—Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia—after launching its full-scale invasion in 2022, but does not fully control any of them. Last year, Putin demanded Kyiv withdraw its troops from all four regions as a condition for peace. Additionally, Russia annexed Crimea in 2014.
In the occupied Zaporizhzhia region, Moscow controls the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, Europe’s largest, which has been repeatedly caught in the crossfire. The International Atomic Energy Agency has raised concerns over the facility, warning of potential nuclear risks.
During his remarks aboard Air Force One, Trump also reaffirmed his plan to impose tariffs on April 2 despite market disruptions and economic concerns.
“April 2 is a liberating day for our country,” he said. “We’re getting back some of the wealth that very, very foolish presidents gave away because they had no clue what they were doing.”
Trump dismissed any intention of reversing his stance on tariffs, stating that his administration would maintain reciprocal trade measures, particularly on automobiles, steel, and aluminum.
