Trump Speaks by Phone with Putin: “We Had a Great Conversation”

[Financial News] U.S. President Donald Trump said after speaking by phone with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the 9th (local time) that Putin wants an agreement to end the war in Ukraine, Voice of America (VOA) reported.
In response to reporters’ questions, Trump said, "We had a great conversation. He wants an agreement. If President Zelenskyy also wants an agreement, that would be a very good thing."
Asked what was preventing an agreement, Trump replied, "Two people who hate each other." Trump said both leaders "are tired of fighting" and stated that a three-way meeting "could take place." He added, "Too many people are dying in the war."
Dmitry Peskov, a spokesman for the Russian president, said on the 9th that Russia hopes U.S.-mediated talks will resume "in the near future."
Yuri Ushakov, an aide to the Russian president, said last week that discussions had taken place on holding a three-way meeting between Putin, Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in November.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said late on the 8th that meetings held by U.S. special envoys in Russia and Ukraine over the previous weekend had been "substantive," adding that a roadmap for resuming talks could emerge within weeks.
Rubio said both sides have "very clear red lines" and added that he was "neither optimistic nor pessimistic" about the prospects for resuming talks.
While U.S. special envoys Steven Charles Witkoff and Jared Kushner met with Putin on the 5th and President Zelenskyy on the 6th, Russia and Ukraine halted attacks on each other’s capitals for three days. They resumed the attacks after the envoys left.
Zelenskyy said on social media on the 9th, "Unfortunately, the international community’s response to Russia’s attacks, which claim lives almost every day, has been far too weak."
The UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine said that 437 civilians were killed and more than 2,600 were injured in Ukraine during July last month. This was the highest monthly death toll since the war began.
[email protected] Lee Seok-woo, International Affairs Specialist Reporter