U.S. President Donald Trump announced that Russia and Ukraine will immediately begin ceasefire negotiations. While Trump described the tone of the call as excellent, neither side outlined concrete steps or a timeline.

"Initial analysis suggests Trump was more upbeat about the call than Putin, who came across as more reserved. What we do know is that Trump said the war must end and that Ukraine and Russia need to negotiate directly. They know the details best and the U.S. is stepping aside. Trump also said ending the war would be economically beneficial to both sides — Russia has great economic potential — and, interestingly, he mentioned the Vatican could help facilitate the talks," said Helga Kalm of the International Center for Defense and Security (ICDS), speaking on the foreign affairs program "Välisilm."

According to Kalm, it makes little difference whether talks are mediated by the Pope or Trump, because the outcome ultimately depends on what Putin wants to achieve.

"The Vatican wouldn't be a bad mediator. Looking at the current pope, his statements on the war in Ukraine have been quite positive from our region's perspective. He's said Ukrainians have died as martyrs and called for a just and lasting peace in Ukraine — that's the same message we're conveying. The Pope could be an excellent mediator, but in the end, negotiations hinge on what Putin truly wants. Talks won't succeed until he decides to move forward, and that sentiment didn't really come through in the conversation," said Kalm.

She added that Putin is likely stalling the peace talks in hopes of still winning the war, though recent analyses suggest Russia's economy is in poor shape.

"Putin will keep dragging this out as long as he thinks he can win, but many reports now point to a deteriorating economic situation. At some point, the consequences will hit harder, but for now, he's trying to buy time," she said.

Kalm also believes Putin likely tried to flatter Trump during the call and emphasized trade — something highly important to the U.S. president.

"It's hard to say what comes next, even though Trump just said negotiations must start immediately," she added.

Kalm also found it noteworthy that the Kremlin is demanding a memorandum before talks with Ukraine can begin.

"The Kremlin said there needs to be a memorandum setting out the terms for negotiations — basically a pre-negotiation document outlining the agenda. But ultimately, Putin's original demands remain unacceptable to us and to Ukraine, which wants to maintain democratic control over its future and international alliances. Let's not forget, one of Putin's early demands was also to limit how many NATO troops can be stationed in our region," Kalm said.

She noted signs of fatigue in the U.S., as this marked the third call with Putin and still no concrete results.

"It was a surprisingly long conversation — more than two hours. Sure, some of that was translation time and other logistics, but reportedly they were on a first-name basis and spoke in a friendly atmosphere. Still, there's bound to be frustration. Trump himself has said the war must end, but he hasn't succeeded in making that happen. That said, I don't think Europeans are tiring of supporting Ukraine. We'll continue, and that's crucial for Ukraine at this stage," Kalm said.

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