Trump, Putin begin high stakes call with Ukraine peace deal on the line

Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump have started a much-awaited phone conversation as the US administration tries to convince Putin to approve a 30-day truce plan as a potential means of ending the conflict. The call began at 1400 GMT and is going well, according to White House deputy chief of staff Dan Scavino. "The call is going well, and still in progress," Scavino wrote on X.

Trump is trying to persuade Putin to formally accept the 30-day truce that Ukrainian officials agreed to last week during US-led talks in Saudi Arabia, led by Secretary of State Marco Rubio. The discussion takes place amid mounting pressure for an end to the three-year conflict, which has left parts of Ukraine in ruins, claimed hundreds of thousands of lives, and displaced millions.

However, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is still dubious of Putin's intentions, claiming that the Kremlin is stalling for time while bombarding.