As we wait to hear what Trump and Putin have discussed, there are reports that members of Congress are considering moving forward with a bipartisan bill on further Russia sanctions.

The top Senate Republican, John Thune, told reporters moments ago that “the time has come” for a vote on the bill which has been in the works for some time.

“I think the time’s right… we need to move,” he said.

Thune said they were working through technical issues with the bill, but were hoping to schedule a vote soon.

Senators are also reportedly working to arrange a bipartisan meeting with Zelensky when he is in Washington tomorrow.

Bernd Debusmann Jr
Reporting from the White House

Image source, Bernd Debusmann Jr/BBC News

After a relatively quiet morning here at the White House, it's suddenly buzzing with activity after Trump's post that he's on a call with Vladimir Putin.

For days now, Trump has been teasing that he may send Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine. These missiles have an extremely long range of approximately over 1,000 miles (1600km), which could, potentially, give Kyiv additional ability to strike deep into Russia and fundamentally alter the war.

Over the last several weeks, there's been a notable shift in tone from the White House regarding Ukraine. Trump has said he's "disappointed" in Putin, and Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth vowed that Moscow could face "costs" for continuing the war.

And at the UN General Assembly in September, Trump said that he believes that Russia is a "paper tiger" and that Ukraine could ultimately take back the territory it has so far lost - an abrupt U-turn in US policy that caught many by surprise.

We're still waiting to hear how the conversation with Putin went, and what message Trump conveyed to his Russian counterpart.

The next update is likely to come from Trump's Truth Social account again.

Image source, Reuters

President Trump has long said he wants a swift end to the war in Ukraine, but his stance towards Kyiv and Moscow has shifted throughout the course of his second term in office.

Earlier this year, the US president said Ukraine would have to consider giving up some territory in order to bring about a ceasefire and eventual peace agreement - a prospect repeatedly rejected by Kyiv.

During February's disastrous Oval Office encounter between the two leaders which played out before the world's press, Trump said he believed Ukraine did not "hold the cards".

But towards the end of last month, Trump signalled that Kyiv could "win all of Ukraine back in its original form" with its "original borders from where this war started".

Volodymyr Zelensky hailed the "big shift" in Trump's position, while the Kremlin suggested a recent conversation between Zelensky and Trump was the reason for the change in tone.

Trump's attitude to Russia has also hardened in recent months as he has become impatient with Vladimir Putin's lack of cooperation in reaching a ceasefire deal with Kyiv.

Paul Kirby
Europe digital editor

Image source, EPA

We don't yet know if it was Trump or Putin who initiated today's conversation, but coming on the eve of Volodymyr Zelensky's visit to the White House, it is clearly an important moment.

Moscow has sent conflicting signals in recent weeks about a talks process with the US, that began with a direct meeting in Alaska between the Russian and American leaders in early August and then appeared to fizzle out.

From Russia's perspective, Trump is the only leader in the West who's prepared to address the "root causes" of the war in Ukraine. Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov believes Western allies have since sought to "lead Donald Trump astray" by persuading the US president that Putin doesn't want peace.

But most Western observers agree it didn't take long for Putin to lose faith in the Alaska process. By early September, Putin had resorted to half-hearted offers, including "if Zelensky is ready [to meet], let him come to Moscow". A bit of a non-starter for a Ukrainian leader whose country is under full-scale invasion.

It's unlikely Putin's maximalist demands to end the war have changed, but Russia is clearly concerned that Trump is now considering handing the Ukrainians long-range Tomahawk missiles that could reach Moscow.

Image source, Reuters

We don't know exactly what Trump and Putin are discussing, but their call comes just days after officials in Moscow raised concerns about the US potentially supplying long-range Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine.

When reporters asked Trump if he would provide Kyiv with Tomahawks on Sunday, he replied: "We'll see... I may." The missiles would be "a new step of aggression" in Ukraine's war with Russia, he added.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the topic of Tomahawks was of "extreme concern" to Russia, adding that "tensions are escalating from all sides".

He said that if Tomahawks were launched at Russia, Moscow would not be able to tell whether they were carrying nuclear warheads.

"What should the Russian Federation think? Just how should Russia react?" he said.

The Kremlin has confirmed that Trump and Putin are currently in conversation with each other, according to Russian state media.

The pair last held talks in mid-August - days after their summit in Anchorage, Alaska.

The last time presidents Trump and Putin met was at a summit in Alaska in August.

The meeting - their first since Trump was re-elected - was billed as a possible step towards peace in Ukraine, where Russia launched a full-scale invasion in February 2022.

The world's press watched on as the red carpet was rolled out, private talks were had between their delegations and an unprecedented leaders' news conference was held.

Ultimately, however, no breakthrough was made.

The call between Trump and Putin comes a day before an expected meeting between Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky and the US president at the White House.

Zelensky is expected to push for the US to send long-range Tomahawk cruise missiles to Ukraine to help in its fight against Russian forces.

Trump earlier this week signalled he may be willing to send the missiles, which have a range of 2,500 km (1,500 miles) and would put Moscow within reach of Ukraine.

This will be Zelensky's third visit to Washington DC since January.

Here's Trump's Truth Social post in full:

"I am speaking to President Putin now.

"The conversation is ongoing, a lengthy one, and I will report the contents, as will President Putin, at its conclusion. Thank you for your attention to this matter!"

We've just heard from US President Donald Trump, who has posted on his Truth Social account to say he's currently speaking to Russia's Vladimir Putin.

The conversation comes a day before Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is due to visit the White House.

Stay with us as we bring you the latest.