Trump-Putin call yields no breakthrough on Ukraine cease-fire

The leaders spoke on phone for two hours in the latest exchange of efforts to halt the fight

- Alexander Ward & Alan Cullison

Russian President Vladimir Putin refused to agree to an immediate cease-fire with Ukraine in a two-hour call Monday with President Trump, who said afterward that Moscow and Kyiv would resume direct talks on an agreement to halt the fighting.

Trump hinted that the U.S. might step back from its mediator role if the negotiations falter. He didn't say how much longer he would give for an agreement to be reached.

"I think something's going to happen," he told reporters at the White House. "And if it doesn't, I just back away and they're going to have to keep going."

Putin's refusal to sign on to a 30-day cease-fire supported by Kyiv was the latest setback for Trump's efforts to halt the three-year-old conflict and another sign that Putin isn't eager to make peace except on terms that have so far proven unacceptable to Ukraine.

Trump voiced hope over the weekend that his call with Putin would be "productive" and that a cease-fire "will take place." On Monday, he called their discussions "excellent" and held out the possibility that sanctions on Russia could be lifted and that U.S. trade could be increased with both countries if they reached a peace deal.

Speaking to reporters, Trump said "some progress has been made" and that he still believed Putin wanted to make peace.

Trump didn't rule out imposing new sanctions on Russia, but signaled they aren't imminent. "I think there is a chance of getting something done, but there could be a time when that is going to happen," he said of sanctions.