By Trevor Hunnicutt and Steve Holland
WASHINGTON, April 29 (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday he discussed a possible ceasefire in the four-year war in Ukraine in a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
He spoke after the Kremlin reported the two leaders discussed a temporary Ukraine ceasefire to mark the anniversary of the end of World War Two next month.
“We had a good talk, I’ve known him a long time,” said Trump. The two leaders had their last publicly reported phone call on March 9, although Trump has indicated they speak regularly.
Trump, speaking to reporters as he met with astronauts from the Artemis II mission in the Oval Office, said he suggested “a little bit of a ceasefire” in the war in Ukraine in his phone call with the Russian leader.
“And I think he might do that,” Trump said, then asked reporters whether Putin had already announced a ceasefire.
Putin announced a similar truce last year that lasted three days but was not agreed with Kyiv.
Trump has a history of making positive comments about Putin and sharply criticizing Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy for not agreeing to make a deal with Russia to end the war.
HELP WITH IRAN’S URANIUM
Trump said Putin offered to help on the issue of Iran’s enriched uranium, a key obstacle to a deal to end the Iran war, but “I said I’d much rather have you be involved with ending the war with Ukraine.”
“I said, before you help me, I want to end your war,” said Trump.
Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov did not say what proposals Putin had made on Iran. Moscow has previously offered to take enriched uranium out of the country.
Ushakov told reporters Putin had proposed the temporary ceasefire in Ukraine for celebrations on May 9 to mark the Soviet Union’s part in the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War Two. He said Trump reacted positively.
Ushakov added that Trump, in a friendly and businesslike conversation lasting over 1-1/2 hours, had said he believed a deal to end the Ukraine war was close.
(Reporting by Trevor Hunnicutt and Steve Holland; additional reporting by Vladimir Soldatkin; Editing by Michelle Nichols, Rod Nickel)
