U.S. President Donald Trump has revealed that negotiators working to end the Russia-Ukraine war have already discussed “dividing up certain assets.” He also announced plans to speak with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday, March 18.
Trump’s remarks follow his announcement last week that Ukraine had agreed to a U.S.-proposed 30-day ceasefire, leaving it up to Russia to decide whether to accept the deal aimed at swiftly ending the war.
“We’re doing pretty well, I think, with Russia. We’ll see if we have something to announce—maybe by Tuesday. I’ll be speaking to President Putin on Tuesday,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One while returning to the White House from Mar-a-Lago.
“A lot of work has been done over the weekend. We want to see if we can bring that war to an end,” he added. “Maybe we can, maybe we can’t, but I think we have a very good chance.”
He went on to say that discussions have included territorial changes and infrastructure assets. “We’ll be talking about land. A lot of land has changed since before the war. We’ll also be talking about power plants—that’s a big question,” he stated.
“But I think we’ve already covered a lot, with both Ukraine and Russia. Discussions about dividing up certain assets are already underway.”
Putin’s Response
Putin has not given a straightforward response to the Trump-backed ceasefire proposal. While he acknowledged Moscow’s agreement in principle, he also outlined strict conditions, demanded concessions from Kyiv, and reiterated claims that Ukraine’s government was partly responsible for the war.
Russia first seized parts of Ukraine in 2014 before launching a full-scale invasion in 2022, sparking the largest land conflict in Europe since World War II. Since then, Ukraine has lost control of roughly 11% of its territory, according to a CNN analysis of data from the Institute for the Study of War.
Contentious Land Concessions
The issue of territorial concessions remains highly sensitive. U.S. officials have indicated that Ukraine may need to cede land for the war to end, a demand Putin has made a condition for any ceasefire.
However, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has long refused to consider surrendering territory, and some European leaders have voiced concerns that making such concessions would effectively reward Putin for his invasion.
Trump’s apparent willingness to offer Moscow concessions before formal negotiations begin has unsettled NATO allies in Europe, raising doubts about the reliability of long-standing U.S. security commitments to the continent.
Meanwhile, Putin said on Friday that Russia is working to restore relations with the U.S., which he claimed had been “practically reduced to zero, destroyed by the previous American administration.”
“Overall, the situation is beginning to move,” he said regarding talks with Trump’s administration. “Let’s see what comes out of this.”
