U.S. President Donald Trump said on the 18th (local time) that he plans to talk with Russian President Vladimir Putin, according to major foreign news reports.
According to Reuters and the Associated Press, President Trump made these comments to reporters on his private plane returning from Florida to Washington D.C. He noted, "A lot has happened over the weekend," adding, "We want to see if we can end that war. It may or may not be possible, but I think we have a very good opportunity. "
President Trump mentioned some issues that would be on the agenda for ceasefire negotiations between Ukraine and Russia. He stated, "Discussions regarding the 'partitioning of specific assets' are already underway between the two sides," noting that "territory and power plants are becoming the focus of negotiations between Russia and Ukraine."
During the question-and-answer session, President Trump reiterated plans to impose high tariffs. He said he would implement mutual and sectoral tariffs as previously announced on April 2. He added that there would be no exceptions to the tariffs on steel and aluminum products and that tariffs related to automobiles would also be announced in line with the mutual tariffs.