Putin and Trump will speak about Ukraine war on March 18 

U.S. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard said President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin “are very good friends” who are focused on ways to strengthen the bonds between the United States and Russia.

U.S. President Donald Trump will speak with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday (March 18, 2025) in a possible pivot point in efforts to end the war in Ukraine and an opportunity for President Trump to continue reorienting American foreign policy.

President Trump disclosed the upcoming conversation to reporters while flying from Florida to Washington on Air Force One on Sunday evening, while the Kremlin confirmed President Putin’s participation on Monday morning.

“We will see if we have something to announce maybe by Tuesday. I will be speaking to President Putin on Tuesday,” President Trump said.

“A lot of work’s been done over the weekend. We want to see if we can bring that war to an end.” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Monday morning confirmed the plans for the two leaders to speak on Tuesday, but declined to give details, saying that “we never get ahead of events” and “the content of conversations between two presidents are not subject to any prior discussion.”

European allies are wary of President Trump’s affinity for Putin and his hardline stance toward Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who faced sharp criticism when he visited the Oval Office a little more than two weeks ago.

Although Russia failed in its initial goal to topple the Ukrainian government with its invasion three years ago, it still controls large swaths of the country.

President Trump said land and power plants are part of the conversation around bringing the war to a close.