Experts assess the likelihood of a peace deal on the Ukrainian conflict

US President Donald Trump discussed the Ukrainian conflict with Russian President Vladimir Putin during a telephone conversation. This was reported by the New York Post (NYP). However, the press secretary of the Russian president, Dmitriy Peskov, did not confirm or deny the report about the alleged talks on February 9.

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The publication did not provide a direct quote from Trump, in which the U.S. leader would unequivocally confirm the phone conversation with Putin. However, according to the New York Post, he contacted the Russian president to "try to negotiate an end to the conflict in Ukraine." When asked how many times Trump has spoken to Putin, the White House chief allegedly said he would "rather not talk."

"What can be said about this news? As the administration in Washington unfolds, there are a lot of different communications, and those communications are being conducted through different channels. And, of course, amidst the multiplicity of these communications, I personally may not know something, may not be aware of something. So in this case I can neither confirm nor deny it," Peskov told Izvestia.

Trump in a dialog with the New York Post also emphasized that he has a concrete plan to end the Ukrainian conflict. He revealed that he wants to strike a $500 million deal with Vladimir Zelensky for access to rare earth minerals and gas in Ukraine in exchange for security guarantees in any potential peace settlement. Trump has mentioned a similar intention before.

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