Talks to end Ukraine war to start 'immediately', Trump says after call with Putin

US President claims the Vatican is interested in hosting the discussions

US President Donald Trump said on Monday he had held a two-hour call with Russian leader Vladimir Putin, saying the conversation went "very well" and that talks on reaching a ceasefire in Ukraine would begin immediately.

Speaking from the White House, Mr Trump said he also spoke to leaders of European nations.

"I think some progress has been made, it's a terrible situation going on over there," he said.

Earlier on Monday in a post on his Truth Social platform, Mr Trump said he had told Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and other Nato allies of plans for negotiations towards ending the war.

"The conditions for that will be negotiated between the two parties, as it can only be, because they know details of a negotiation that nobody else would be aware of," he wrote.

He said the Vatican had voiced an interest in hosting the talks.

The White House said the call with Mr Putin on Monday was the third between the two leaders since Mr Trump took office for a second time in January.

"He has made it clear to both sides that he wants to see a peaceful resolution, a ceasefire, as soon as possible," White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said. The President would "certainly be open" to meeting Mr Putin in person, she added.

A White House official confirmed to The National that Mr Trump had called Mr Zelenskyy before the conversation with Mr Putin.

After the call, Mr Putin told Russian media that he had a “frank and meaningful" conversation with Mr Trump and that Moscow supported a “peaceful settlement”.

He said compromises would need to be reached that suit both parties. “It was very informative and very open and overall, in my opinion, very useful,” Mr Putin said.

The development comes after Mr Trump voiced increasing frustration at the continuing conflict and the lack of progress towards a ceasefire.

Since he came into office Mr Trump, who has advanced his vision of an America First model of foreign policy, has sought rapprochement with Mr Putin. He has also resisted calls by European leaders to impose new sanctions on Russia if Mr Putin continues to reject demands to end the war.

Before the phone call, Vice President JD Vance said Mr Trump was “more than open” to walking away from his attempts to end the war if he felt Mr Putin was continuing to show little interest in a ceasefire.

Mr Trump campaigned on a promise that he would bring a swift end to the war. But since taking office, he has struggled to persuade Mr Putin to take peace talks seriously.

The Russian leader skipped negotiations in Turkey last week despite Mr Zelenskyy being in the country.

Mr Trump has repeatedly claimed that Russia's invasion of Ukraine would never have happened had he been re-elected president in 2020.

He has said that the war has needlessly claimed the lives of soldiers and civilians, and that it has been a waste of the US taxpayer dollars that have been spent on military aid for Ukraine.