Trump and Putin Talk about a Ceasefire in Ukraine
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You're listening to State of the World from NPR. We bring you the day's most vital international stories up close where they're happening. It's Tuesday, March 18th. I'm Greg Dixon. In a few minutes, we'll hear how people in Ukraine are reacting to recent developments regarding the war in their country. But first, one of those developments happened on Tuesday. President Trump had a lengthy phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin. This is part of Trump's effort to broker an end to the war.

NPR White House correspondent Asma Khalid tells us what we know about that call. She spoke to Elsa Chang. OK, so tell us more about what Trump and Putin talked about. Well, Trump has been trying to reach a truce to end the three-year war in Ukraine, and he got a first step. The Kremlin said that it'll stop strikes on energy infrastructure for the next 30 days.

Now, this discussion did not result in a concrete peace agreement, but the White House issued a statement saying that the U.S. and Russia agreed to start talks toward a ceasefire. And those negotiations will begin immediately out in the Middle East. They referenced not just energy infrastructure, but also negotiations toward implementing a maritime ceasefire in the Black Sea. And we should note that Ukraine was not part of this call, right? Like any word on what Ukraine is thinking about all of this dialogue? Well,

Well, we're waiting to hear. We know that last week Ukraine had agreed to a broad month-long ceasefire. And today's phone call was now an effort to convince Russia to agree to that same pause as well. Trump didn't really get there, but the White House is continuing the talks because Trump really wants to end this war. You know, he campaigned on that commitment. He has expressed sympathy about

all the bloodshed lost, but he's also complained about the billions and billions of dollars that he said his predecessor, Joe Biden, has sent to assist Ukraine in this war. So, Asma, what is the sticking point to a broader deal here? Well, the Kremlin said in a statement today that Moscow wants a long-term settlement, but Putin is also insisting on an end to foreign intelligence sharing and military aid to Ukraine. One big additional question that our colleague Charles Maines, who's based in Russia, points out is that

Putin has raised the issue of who will monitor this ceasefire. He does not want any NATO countries to be the monitor here. And Putin also believes that any long-term agreement has to deal with what he believes is the root of this conflict, and that is NATO's expansion at Russia's borders. He absolutely does not want Ukraine to be a part of NATO ever. And to that point, I mean, Trump has also said that he doesn't think Ukraine's membership into NATO is realistic. Well, why?

What about from Ukraine's side here? Like, what are they holding out for?

Well, one major point is that they have wanted security guarantees from the United States and Europe because they don't trust that Putin will stick to his end of the deal. You probably recall that this was a major point for Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky when he met with President Trump last month here at the White House. I mean, I'm sure that you remember that contentious meeting in the Oval Office. U.S.-Ukraine talks fell apart then, and the Ukraine delegation was told to leave.

But last week, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Trump's national security adviser, Michael Walz, went to Saudi Arabia for new, fresh talks with Ukrainians. And they got Ukraine to agree to a 30-day ceasefire, which was a big development. That's what they're trying to get Russia to sign on to. OK.

OK, so what do all of these developments mean ultimately for President Trump, you think? You know, I would say that, as I mentioned, he is eager to end this war. He has been optimistic even about the idea of dividing up assets. Ever since he returned to the White House broadly, he has changed the conventional wisdom around American foreign policy. And he's been willing to engage directly with Putin, which, you know, frankly, we never saw Biden do during the war.

He's also, though, aligned himself much more with Russia philosophically, adopting its viewpoint and blaming Ukraine for starting the war, even though, to be clear, it was Russia who invaded Ukraine. Asma Khalid speaking to Elsa Chang. In Ukraine, people have been watching recent developments. NPR's Eleanor Beardsley in Kiev tells us most Ukrainians don't believe Putin will negotiate in good faith.

They're also wondering how the relationship with the U.S. has changed following a tense Oval Office exchange between President Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. But Ukrainians are finding dark humor in the uncertainty, and they're rallying around Zelensky. Here's Eleanor.

When Ukrainians saw their president berated in the White House last month, it gave him a shot in the political arm back home, says Anton Grushetsky, director of the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology, which measures public opinion. He says Zelensky's approval rating jumped 10%.

and is now pushing 70%. We need to understand that people perceived all these attacks not as attacks on Sol Zelensky, but as attacks on the whole Ukraine and all Ukrainians. So people are furious. And actually, more people are united around the president. Kiev resident Mikhail Smetana says he's certainly noticed that. We meet at an outdoor food market in the city. On my Facebook account, many people that I know hate Zelenskyy.

But they were actually supporting him. But as usual, it doesn't take Ukrainians long to find comedy amidst the tragedy, with memes and jokes going viral. One Ukrainian TikTok star played his guitar to a little ditty he composed about the Oval Office spat. Like Zelensky there, after Trump, after Trump.

Because this is how Ukrainians cope, says Smetana. We make jokes of everything and that helps us surviving. The whole war will survive on memes.

One aspect of Zelensky's White House dressing down has gotten a lot of mockery when Vice President J.D. Vance accused him of not being grateful enough. Thank you for your support, every American citizen. This Instagram reel strings together examples of Zelensky's effusive public gratitude to America some 94 instances since the full-scale invasion, according to the video.

Another meme shows some of the other leaders who've shown up at the White House not wearing suits. There's Winston Churchill, Narendra Modi, and of course Elon Musk, who even keeps his baseball cap on inside the Oval Office. Humor is a very important psychological mechanism to cope with the situation. But, says sociologist Grishetsky, the humor operates.

also masks the hurt and anxiety Ukrainians feel on possibly being abandoned by their most important ally. In a Kiev coffee shop, student Yulia Mala says there's a perception here that the Trump administration is suddenly treating Russia like a good-faith partner, and that's distressing. We want to say it very clear that Russia, it's not like some good guys and we could talk.

They killed our people and they keep doing it. And we want to say it clear that this is enemy. I meet 34-year-old Taras strolling in a Kiev park. While he doesn't want to give his last name, he says it's unnerving to hear President Trump parroting what he calls Kremlin propaganda that Ukraine needs to hold elections.

Those who demand elections are completely ignorant about the security situation. Just imagine how many Ukrainians are refugees in foreign countries, how many Ukrainians are displaced, how many Ukrainians are currently on the front line.

How could you possibly find and get ballots to everyone, he asks. And as for security, forget it. Polling stations would make perfect targets for Russian ballistic missiles. Eleanor Beardsley, NPR News, Kyiv. That's the state of the world from NPR. Thanks for listening.

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