When Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered up to 200,000 soldiers into Ukraine, his aim was to sweep into the capital, Kyiv, in a matter of days. He wanted to overthrow the pro-Western government and return Ukraine to Russia's sphere of influence.

The call’s primary focus was on getting Putin to agree to a 30-day ceasefire of the three-year war in Ukraine.

Trump and Putin agreed to limit attacks on energy and infrastructure, a step on the hard road to ending the war that Russia began.