US President Donald Trump is scheduled to speak by phone with Russian President Vladimir Putin on March 18 as he bids to bring about a cease-fire in the war in Ukraine that has drained both sides of soldiers and resources.
Trump first announced the call late on March 16 during a flight back to Washington from his resort in Florida. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists in Moscow on March 18 that the call is expected to take place between 2 and 4 p.m. CET and will touch on a "large number of questions" surrounding US-Russia relations, as well as the Ukraine war.
"We want to see if we can bring that war to an end. Maybe we can, maybe we can't, but I think we have a very good chance," Trump has said.
When asked about possible concessions that might be required to secure a cease-fire, Trump said that "we'll be talking about land. We'll be talking about power plants."
SEE ALSO: What Will Trump's Game Plan Be In High-Stakes Call With Putin?"I think we have a lot of it already discussed very much by both sides, Ukraine and Russia. We're already talking about that, dividing up certain assets."
Trump has made it a priority during the first months of his second term in office to bring about a cease-fire agreement in the three-year war in Ukraine.
After holding talks in Saudi Arabia, Ukrainian and US officials announced on March 11 that Kyiv had agreed to a 30-day cease-fire proposal, contingent on Russia's agreement.
Moscow has so far reacted coolly to the idea, with Putin suggesting additional conditions, including a freeze on US weapons supplies to Kyiv.
Meanwhile, a top Russian official said Moscow will insist Ukraine not be allowed to join NATO and remain "neutral" in any peace deal, which are conditions Kyiv has long rejected.
SEE ALSO: Could The EU Become A Military Superpower?One of the Kremlin's original grievances in justifying its February 2022 invasion continues to be one of Kyiv's central demands: NATO membership.
On March 14, Putin had said any agreement should lead to long-term peace that addresses the "root" reasons for the war -- an apparent reference to NATO expansion and other developments Putin claims have put Russia's security in jeopardy.
In remarks published on March 17, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Aleksandr Grushko told the Russian daily Izvestia that "we will demand that ironclad security guarantees become part of this agreement."
"Part of these guarantees should be the neutral status of Ukraine, the refusal of NATO countries to accept it into the alliance," he said.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has often stressed that for Kyiv to accept any peace deal it must come with security guarantees for Ukraine from its Western partners, including eventual NATO membership.
"I have insisted [on Ukraine's membership in] NATO, but you know what the answers have been," he said in February, suggesting the path to joining the Western military alliance remains obstructed.
SEE ALSO: Can Trump Do Anything To Make Putin Accept A Cease-Fire In Ukraine?On March 16, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a CBS interview that a final peace accord would "involve a lot of hard work, concessions from both Russia and Ukraine," adding that it would be difficult to even start such talks "as long as they're shooting at each other."
Separately in March 17, French President Emmanuel Macron and new Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney met in Paris and "reaffirmed their unwavering support for Ukraine as it continues to resist Russia’s unjustifiable war of aggression," according to a joint statement.
Meanwhile, Zelenskyy on March 16 shook up his military leadership, appointing Major General Andriy Hnatov as Ukraine's new chief of the General Staff, replacing Lieutenant-General Anatoliy Barhilevych, as Kyiv looks to speed the pace of reform and reorganization.
"We are consistently changing the armed forces to make them even more combat ready. To achieve it, we are changing the management system and introducing clear standards," Defense Minister Rustem Umerov said
The statement said Barhilevych, who was appointed to the post in February 2024, will now serve as inspector general of the Defense Ministry. Barhilevych replaced Lieutenant General Serhiy Shaptala when he took the post on the General Staff in 2024.