Chance Emerges for Putin and Zelensky Phone Call Following Trump Mediation

On Monday, December 29, Fox News said citing a source familiar with negotiations over the settlement of the Ukrainian crisis, that Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky may talk on the phone for the first time in five years.

Photo: commons.wikimedia.org by Diamondmagna, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

Telephone

According to the source, this became possible after Zelensky's meeting with US President Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago on December 28.

"This would be a diplomatic victory for President Trump,” the unnamed Fox News source said.

The last phone conversation between Putin and Zelensky took place on July 26, 2020, at Zelensky's initiative. At that time, the two leaders discussed establishing a ceasefire regime in Donbas, ways out of the Ukrainian crisis through the Minsk agreements, local elections in Ukraine, and the COVID-19 pandemic.

Ceasefire in Donbas and the July 2020 Call

The July 2020 phone conversation was centered on the discussion of additional measures to enforce a ceasefire along the line of contact. These measures entered into legal force at midnight on July 27, 2020.

The Kremlin gave a positive assessment of the agreement reached at the July 22 meeting of the Minsk contact group on additional ceasefire measures.

Kyiv, for its part, stated that the sides "welcomed the achievement of an agreement on a full and comprehensive ceasefire regime,” adding that the president of the Russian Federation supported the arrangement.

However, the Ukrainian presidential press release did not mention the outcomes of the Minsk group meeting.

The Minsk Agreements and Political Disputes

The Ukrainian press release did not refer to the "Minsk format” as such. The name of the Belarusian capital, where the agreements were signed in 2014-2015, did not appear in the text at all.

Moscow separately stressed the need to increase the effectiveness of negotiations within the Minsk contact group. The sides also discussed the implementation of agreements reached during the Normandy format meeting, which became the last face-to-face meeting between Putin and Zelensky.

During the same phone call, the leaders discussed a resolution adopted by Ukraine's Verkhovna Rada on holding local elections in 2020. The Kremlin criticized this political step, calling it contradictory to the Minsk agreements and a threat to the prospects for a settlement.

Russian officials emphasized that statements by the Ukrainian leadership caused serious concern and urged Kyiv to adhere to previously agreed commitments.

Later, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said the Rada's decision could be interpreted as a de facto withdrawal by Ukraine from the Minsk agreements.

What Is Known About a Possible Call Now

At present, Putin and Zelensky do not hold direct phone conversations. Donald Trump effectively acts as an intermediary, alternating calls with both leaders. Ahead of his most recent meeting with Zelensky, Trump also spoke by phone with Putin.

"I just had a good and very productive phone call with President Putin of Russia before my meeting with President Zelensky of Ukraine,” Trump said.

On December 29, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov commented on the Fox News report, stating that a phone call between Putin and Zelensky is not currently on the agenda.

"At this moment, there is no talk of such a conversation,” Peskov said.