Trump announces he will speak with Putin on Tuesday

President Donald Trump announced that he will speak on Tuesday, March 18, with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, to address the end of the war in Ukraine. The Republican noted that the option of "dividing up certain assets" between the two sides will be on the table during the conversation.

Trump made the announcement during a conversation with journalists aboard the presidential plane, Air Force One, as reported by AFP. The president emphasized that the discussion between the two leaders follows extensive diplomatic groundwork by the countries involved, including the United States.

"I think we have a lot of it already discussed very much by both sides- Ukraine and Russia. I think we'll be talking about land. It's a lot different than it was before the war, as you know. We'll be talking about power plants, that's a big question."

For the time being, the U.S. proposal to initiate a 30-day ceasefire in Ukraine is still on the table. While Kiev has accepted the proposal, Moscow has sent mixed and even contradictory messages.

U.S. is optimistic about reaching an agreement

However, the U.S. remains optimistic, believing that the conflict that has ravaged Ukraine for more than three years could be resolved "in the next few weeks," according to Trump's emissary for international affairs, Steve Witkoff.

These are not just empty words. U.S. diplomacy, led by Trump and supported by his emissary Steve Witkoff and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, is making every effort to secure a peace deal. Witkoff, who met with Putin days ago, told CNN that Trump "really hopes that there will be some kind of agreement in the next few weeks, perhaps, and I think that will be the case."

Ongoing contacts between U.S. and Russian diplomacy

After the meetings in Saudi Arabia, the foreign ministries of Washington and Moscow have remained in contact to advance negotiationsand facilitate the discussion between the two heads of state. The most recent conversation between Secretary of State Marco Rubio and his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov,took place last Saturday over the phone.

During the conversation, the top diplomats of both countries "discussed the next steps" toward ending the war. According to the Russian foreign ministry, they addressed "the concrete aspects" of continuing the discussions that began in Saudi Arabia and "agreed to stay in touch," though no mention was made of the U.S. truce proposal.

Europe also moves forward in order not to be left out

In addition to the intense U.S. efforts to settle the conflict, Europe appears to have been stirred by Trump's hyperactivity and the looming threat of being excluded from the peace talks. That same Saturday, a virtual summit which was organized by London took place.

During the summit, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer told the 26 leaders on the call that they should focus on how to strengthen Ukraine, protect any ceasefire, and maintain pressure on Moscow. "My feeling is that, sooner or later, the Russian president is going to have to sit at the table and engage in a serious discussion," Starmer said.

Macron: "It's the moment of truth"

After the virtual summit, French President Emmanuel Macron stated that he wants "pressure to be clear" on Moscow, which "does not give the impression of sincerely wanting peace." He added, "It is the moment of truth, because if Russia does not sincerely commit itself to peace, President Trump will tighten sanctions and retaliation, and that will completely change the dynamic," Macron told local media.

The French president denounced in a message from the Elysee to AFP that the Russian president "escalates the fighting" and "wants to get everything and then negotiate."

Zelensky appoints a delegation to negotiate "a just peace"

This is something that Volodymyr Zelensky has been denouncing for a long time and reiterated again to journalists: "Russia wants a stronger position (on the ground) before the ceasefire." On Saturday, the Ukrainian president accused Moscow of delaying talks with this goal in mind. Additionally, the Ukrainian leader appointed a "delegation" tasked with negotiating "a just peace" with Russia, according to a decree issued on Saturday.

Starmer and Macron have expressed a willingness to deploy British and French troops to Ukraine, but it remains unclear whether other countries will agree to do the same. However, the Kremlin outright rejected the proposal for foreign soldiers to set foot on Ukrainian soil.

Russia advances on the frontline

Meanwhile, fighting continues, and Moscow has recaptured portions of territory this week in the border Kursk region. According to a decree issued on Sunday, Zelensky replaced the Ukrainian chief of staff, Anatoliy Bargylevych, with Andriy Gnatov to "increase management efficiency."

Kiev declared that its air force had shot down 130 Iranian-made drones launched by Russia over 14 Ukrainian regions. Putin has called on Ukrainian troops besieged in Kursk to "surrender." Moscow evacuated 371 civilians in territories it recaptured in that region, as announced by Governor Alexander Khinshtein on social media on Sunday.

In Ukraine, one person was killed by a drone attack in Izium, located in the Kharkov region, while a residential property caught fire and a house was damaged Saturday night in Cherniguiv (north), as a result of a Russian "attack," according to officials.