The White House says it is "closer than ever" to reaching a peace deal with Ukraine and Russia after President Trump held back-to-back calls with the countries' presidents this week. But the leaders' interpretations of the phone calls vary greatly.
President Trump spoke with Russia's President Vladimir Putin for more than two hours over the phone on Tuesday. In a post on social media, Trump said Putin agreed to an "immediate ceasefire on all energy and infrastructure, with an understanding that we will be working quickly toward a complete ceasefire."
However, an official readout of the call from the White House did not include a commitment to a full ceasefire, something Ukraine had previously agreed to. Putin also gave a list of demands to President Trump, including a stop to all foreign military aid to Ukraine, according to the Kremlin's readout of the phone conversation.
President Trump told Fox News on Tuesday that aid was not discussed during the call.
On Wednesday, President Trump held an hour-long call with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy – their first official conversation since a tense meeting in the Oval Office in February.
Zelenskyy also agreed to a ceasefire on attacks on energy infrastructure, the White House said.
The White House lauded President Trump after the phone call, with White House aide Karoline Leavitt saying, "We have never been this close to peace, and it's only because of President Trump that we are here."
In a post on social media, President Trump said he believes negotiations to end the war are "on track."
RELATED STORY | Russia and Ukraine launch aerial attacks amid proposed ceasefire talks
Also on Wednesday, Ukraine and Russia swapped 175 prisoners in one of the largest prisoner exchanges of the war.
Despite the ceasefire talks, both Russia and Ukraine launched aerial attacks overnight Thursday – with Russia targeting several Ukrainian cities while Ukraine hit a key Russian military base and surrounding areas.
Asked about the peace talks on Friday, President Trump told reporters "I think we have the confines of a deal."
Delegations from each country are expected to meet in Saudi Arabia on Monday to continue peace talks.
