US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin will talk this week, officials confirmed on Sunday. Meanwhile, Washington and Kyiv’s European allies are urging Moscow to agree to a ceasefire in the three-year war.

US Proposes Ceasefire

Earlier this week, the US proposed a temporary halt to the conflict after discussions in Saudi Arabia. As a result, Ukraine accepted the proposal. However, Putin has not given a clear response. Instead, he listed conditions and raised "serious questions" about the ceasefire plan.

Optimism for Upcoming Talks

“I expect that there will be a call with both presidents this week, and we’re also continuing to engage and have conversation with the Ukrainians,” US envoy Steve Witkoff told CNN on Sunday. Notably, Witkoff met with Putin on Thursday night. He believes the upcoming talks between Trump and Putin will be "really good and positive." Meanwhile, Moscow reported that US Secretary of State Marco Rubio called Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. They discussed the “concrete aspects of the implementation of understandings” from last month’s U.S.-Russia summit in Saudi Arabia.

Zelensky Accuses Russia

On Saturday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russia of not wanting to end the war. He warned that Moscow aims to strengthen its battlefield position before agreeing to a ceasefire.

High-Level Meeting in Riyadh

The Riyadh meeting in February was the first high-level US-Russia engagement since Moscow invaded Ukraine in February 2022. On Friday, Trump posted on social media that there was "a very good chance that this horrible, bloody war can finally come to an end." Furthermore, he said he "strongly requested" Putin not to kill the thousands of Ukrainian troops retreating from Kursk.

Putin’s Response

In response, Putin agreed to spare the Ukrainian troops if they surrendered. Additionally, the Kremlin said on Friday that Putin sent Trump a message through Witkoff about the ceasefire plan. Putin expressed "cautious optimism" about reaching a deal to end the conflict.