US President Donald Trump has reportedly put plans for a new phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin on hold, after pressure from his advisers to wait until Russia agrees to a complete ceasefire in Ukraine.
This was reported by NBC News, citing sources within the White House.
Trump had earlier stated that he intended to speak with Putin again this week, following two prior phone conversations since his return to office — the latest on March 18, which focused on ending the war in Ukraine.
However, sources told NBC that members of his administration warned him that “a call is not the best idea” at this stage. For now, no new conversation is scheduled.
Ceasefire Talk Stalls as Attacks Continue
After the March 18 call, the Kremlin claimed Putin had agreed to Trump’s request to halt attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure for 30 days.
Despite the verbal agreement, attacks on both sides continued.
Later, on March 24, US, Ukrainian, and Russian officials met for consultations in Riyadh, where they reportedly agreed to support safe shipping in the Black Sea.
The White House confirmed this, but Moscow added that any implementation would only begin after specific sanctions were lifted, including those targeting Rosselkhozbank.
Trump ‘Angry’ Over Putin’s Comments About Zelensky
Tensions escalated further after Putin said that Ukraine needed “external control” to install a president with whom Russia could sign a peace deal — a remark that “infuriated” Trump, according to sources cited by NBC.
Trump publicly expressed his anger, saying he was “very angry” over what he saw as Putin trying to discredit Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
In response, Trump warned that if Russia fails to move forward with a ceasefire and he believes it is to blame, he would impose secondary tariffs on all Russian oil.
Soon after Trump's comments, Kirill Dmitriev, head of Russia’s Direct Investment Fund and a key contact with Washington on Ukraine, traveled to the US.
According to Bloomberg, Russian officials hope for a deal with Trump that would end the war on acceptable terms.
However, Moscow sources also told the agency that Russia is prepared to continue the conflict if negotiations fail. At the same time, they claimed that Putin is not worried about Trump’s threat to impose new sanctions on Russian oil.
