'We have no illusions about who we’re dealing with': White House advisor calls Putin tough character

CNN reported the information.

According to Waltz, during a phone conversation on March 18, President Donald Trump and the Kremlin leader covered many topics, including a ceasefire and a prisoner exchange.

“Well, it’s not a matter of whether you necessarily believe. This is trust but verify. This is tough negotiation. Putin’s a tough character. We have no illusions about who we’re dealing with. But both sides, it’s in their interest to end the killing,” he responded when asked whether he believed Putin was honest during the negotiations.

Trump’s conversation with Putin: what is known

On March 18, U.S. President Donald Trump held a phone conversation with Russian dictator Vladimir Putin, which lasted about two hours. Both sides agreed that the path to peace should begin with stopping attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure. Moscow, however, demanded a halt to Ukraine’s mobilization and the rearmament of the Ukrainian Armed Forces during a possible ceasefire.

Following Trump’s negotiations with Putin, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that the Kremlin leader had essentially rejected the proposal for a complete ceasefire.

On Sunday, March 23, representatives of the U.S. and Russia will hold talks in Saudi Arabia regarding the details of stopping attacks on energy and civilian infrastructure in the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war.

On March 19, around 5:00 p.m., it became known that Trump was having a phone conversation with the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.