Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin held their first phone calls since August, the American president confirmed.
Trump announced that he was having a "lengthy" phone conversation with his Russian counterpart. The talks are taking place the day before Trump's scheduled meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the White House.
Since August, after a personal meeting in Alaska failed to lead to a decisive breakthrough in efforts to reach a peace agreement, Trump has taken a much tougher line towards Putin regarding the war in Ukraine. The American president's talks with Putin and Zelenskyy this week are taking place at a time when Trump is considering whether to arm Ukraine with Tomahawk missiles. The missiles are capable of striking deep into Russian territory.