Trump-Putin phone conversation, this is Scavino: Conversation is going well

White House Deputy Chief of Staff Dan Scavino posted an update on social networks for phone conversations between US President Donald Trump and Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, confirming that it is currently under way, writes The Guardian.

“is now happening President Trump is currently in the Oval Office speaking with President Vladimir Putin of Russia since 10:00 a.m. [in local time]. The call is going well and it's continuing”.

This is the second known time that the two leaders have spoken since Trump returned to duty in January.

Bloomberg reported earlier that Putin was expected to request a suspension of all arms shipments to Ukraine, including US and European aid during a ceasefire proposed by Trump.

Europe will likely be concerned about agreeing to this condition, as the United Kingdom and the European Union are stepping up efforts to offer new military aid packages to Kiev as soon as possible.

The Russian leader has also renewed calls for broader negotiations for a long-term solution to the war.

His demands will likely include the demilitarisation of Ukraine, the end of Western military assistance and a commitment to keep Kiev out of NATO.

Before the conversation, Trump said Russian and American negotiators had already talked about “partitioning of certain assets”.

“I think we are doing very well with Russia”, Trump said on Sunday, adding that he thought there was a very good chance of reaching a ceasefire./Periscopi/