White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters that “great progress” was made during a phone call Thursday between President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Watch Leavitt’s remarks in the video player above.
“It was a very good and productive call. It lasted more than two hours,” Leavitt said. “And the president feels like great progress was made on this call.”
READ MORE: Trump to meet with Putin in Hungary in another attempt to end Russia’s war in Ukraine
Leavitt spoke with reporters moments after Trump said on Truth Social that he planned to meet with Putin in Budapest to try to resolve the Russia-Ukraine war, but the date is still to be determined.
Trump’s announcement comes a day before his planned meeting with Ukrainian President Voldoymyr Zelenskyy in the Oval Office on Friday.
Trump also said Secretary of State Marco Rubio and other advisers would meet with their Russian counterparts next week. A location was still being worked out.
In discussing the call, Leavitt said Putin congratulated Trump on the ceasefire deal in the Middle East, and Trump expressed his hope that his success there would help negotiations to end the Russia-Ukraine war.
Trump said they also talked about trade between Russia and the United States when the war in Ukraine is over.
