Few details were known about Monday's call, aside from Trump's reported attempt to initiate peace talks aimed at ending the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.

After Trump’s third phone call with Putin since his inauguration, it appears there will be no letup in fighting and less U.S. pressure on Moscow.

A two-hour-plus call was an eyebrow-raising shift in both substance and tone from Donald Trump: there was no demand for Vladimir Putin to sign onto an immediate cease-fire. And the White House was pulling back from its efforts to halt the fighting.

The Russians are "trying to avoid giving anything because they are very, very hard-nosed negotiators," one analyst told NBC News.

President Donald Trump held a high-stakes call with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday, the latest in a series of high-level meetings and negotiations as the Trump administration and international allies seek an end to Russia's war in Ukraine.

Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump discussed what the U.S. leader called "impressive" prospects for ties between their two countries in a phone call on Monday, the Kremlin said, adding that Russia and the United States are working on a new prisoner swap.