Any conversation between the two would mark the first time a sitting U.S. president and Putin have spoken since the war in Ukraine began, although former President Joe Biden held phone calls with Putin multiple times in the leadup to Moscow's invasion to urge Putin against it.

Putin referred to a decree Zelensky signed in September 2022 that declared negotiations with Moscow impossible after Russia said it had annexed four Ukrainian regions, which it still does not fully control. Putin said the decree showed Ukraine was not interested in peace negotiations and would nullify any agreement made unless it was revoked.

One of the problems with Donald Trump is that he doesn’t … know stuff. My own theory of the case, following Sherlock Holmes’ advice—“When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable,

Trump has the levers to force Putin to end the Russia-Ukraine war promptly if he dispenses with the Biden Administration’s tepid, inconsistent economic pressure.