After calling with Trump, Putin still refuses to complete the ceasefire, quotes the Russia's “basic causes” of the war in Ukraine again

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Russia continues to refuse to agree to a full ceasefire in Ukraine. Instead, President Vladimir Putin is preparing to negotiate a “memorandum about a potential future peace treaty”, he said after a two-hour call with US President Donald Trump on May 19.

Putin said Trump “expressed his position in relation to the hiring of the hostility, but put a ceasefire”, but insisted that the “most effective ways to peace” should still be determined.

A source in the President's office informed The Kyiv Independent on May 19 that Ukraine is still pushing for a complete, unconditional ceasefire in conversations with the US President – the most important demand from Trump and accepted by Ukraine in March.

“Russia was right with the President of the United States and is ready to work with the Ukrainian side on a memorandum about a possible future peace treaty,” Putin told reporters after calling.

“It could define a number of positions, for example the principles of processing, the time of a possible peace agreement, etc., including a possible ceasefire for a certain period of time if the corresponding agreements are made.”

The position of Russia in the negotiations remains unchanged and requires “the basic causes” of the war, added the Russian president.

The call takes place days after largely non -conclusive negotiations in Istanbul, where Russia sent a delegation of officials on a low level and repeated comprehensive territorial requirements, including Ukraine, accepts the loss of Crimea and four eastern regions.

Negotiations in Istanbul closed without a breakthrough. The two parties approved an exchange of 1,000 prisoners this week. The Ukrainian and European officials have expressed frustration about what they see as Moscow as a lack of peace efforts.

“The contacts between the participants of the meeting and the conversations in Istanbul have resumed, and this gives reason to assume that we are generally on the right track,” said Putin.

The Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov described the phone call between the two presidents as “productive” and emphasized Trump's “neutral” attitude towards the war.

In conversation with reporters, Peskov said: “Trump's position is neutral and he deals with settlement issues, while the position of European politicians is open to Pros-Ukrainian.”