United States President Donald Trump has mentioned he will speak along with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, on Monday to debate an finish to the battle in Ukraine. His announcement got here a day after direct talks between Russia and Ukraine, hosted by Turkiye, ended inconclusively.
Earlier than Trump’s name with Putin, European leaders spoke to the US president and voiced their hopes that Putin would settle for a ceasefire. Trump mentioned he additionally plans to talk to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy after speaking to Putin.
Right here is the place talks on a possible ceasefire between Kyiv and Moscow stand, greater than three years after Russia launched a full-fledged invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
What did Trump say?
In a publish on his Fact Social platform, Trump wrote that he would communicate to Putin on a name at 10am (14:00 GMT). “THE SUBJECTS OF THE CALL WILL BE, STOPPING THE ‘BLOODBATH’ THAT IS KILLING, ON AVERAGE, MORE THAN 5000 RUSSIAN AND UKRAINIAN SOLDIERS A WEEK, AND TRADE,” Trump mentioned within the publish.
He added that, after chatting with Putin, he would additionally communicate to Zelenskyy and varied NATO members.
“A CEASEFIRE WILL TAKE PLACE, AND THIS VERY VIOLENT WAR, A WAR THAT SHOULD HAVE NEVER HAPPENED, WILL END. GOD BLESS US ALL!!!”
What occurred in the course of the Russia-Ukraine talks in Istanbul?
On Friday, Turkiye hosted direct talks between Russia and Ukraine for the primary time for the reason that early days of the battle in 2022 in Istanbul’s Dolmabahce Palace.
Proposed by Putin, the talks have been initially scheduled for Might 15 however have been deferred by a day. Upfront of the talks, Zelenskyy had introduced that he would personally attend the talks if Putin additionally joined the assembly.
Nevertheless, on Might 14, the Kremlin introduced that Putin would not attend, and as an alternative introduced a negotiating workforce led by a former tradition minister who had additionally headed earlier Russian delegations in unsuccessful talks on the battle in Ukraine.
In response, Zelenskyy, who was in Ankara, the place he met Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, appointed his defence minister to guide the Ukrainian delegation.
The talks have been in the end held on Friday, however didn’t yield any breakthrough on a ceasefire. Nevertheless, the 2 sides reached a prisoner exchange deal. Representatives from either side confirmed that every nation had agreed to launch 1,000 prisoners of battle. The chief of the Russian delegation and adviser to Putin, Vladimir Medinsky, mentioned the swap would happen “within the coming days”.
The 2 groups additionally mentioned a possible assembly between Putin and Zelenskyy, whose legitimacy as Ukraine’s chief has regularly been questioned by the Russian president.
What’s holding up a ceasefire?
Zelenskyy mentioned Putin’s empty seat on the negotiating desk stored a ceasefire settlement from taking form since Russia was represented by a low-level delegation of officers who couldn’t make choices.
However whereas the Ukrainian chief was vital of Putin, Trump appeared empathetic. At a information convention in Doha, Qatar, on the second leg of his Center East journey final week, Trump urged it was unrealistic to have anticipated Putin to attend the talks except the US president attended too.
He doubled down on that view hours later. “Nothing’s going to occur till Putin and I get collectively,” Trump instructed reporters on Thursday on board Air Power One flight to the United Arab Emirates, the place the US president visited after Qatar.
“Everybody might see that the Russian delegation in Istanbul was of a really low stage. None of them have been individuals who truly make choices in Russia. Nonetheless, I despatched our workforce,” Zelenskyy wrote in an X publish on Friday after the talks in Turkiye concluded.
What’s either side saying?
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed to Russian information companies that Putin would communicate with Trump on Monday.
In the meantime, Zelenskyy met US Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Rome on Sunday, on the margins of Pope Leo XIV’s inaugural mass. “We mentioned negotiations in Istanbul to the place the Russians despatched a low stage delegation of non-decision-makers,” Zelenskyy wrote in one other X publish.
“I reaffirmed that Ukraine is able to be engaged in actual diplomacy and underscored the significance of a full and unconditional ceasefire as quickly as attainable.”
On Friday, after the talks, Zelenskyy wrote on X: “President Trump needs to finish this battle. We have to hold working intently with him and keep as coordinated as attainable.” He additionally mentioned long-term US assist is crucial.
Ukraine is looking for an unconditional, 30-day ceasefire. Russia, nevertheless, has raised considerations that Ukraine may use such a truce to rearm and mobilise extra troops.
What’s Europe saying?
Upfront of Trump’s name with Putin, leaders of the UK, the US, Italy, France and Germany discussed the war in Ukraine, a spokesperson representing British Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s workplace mentioned on Monday.
French President Emmanuel Macron wrote in an X publish that the dialog, which passed off on Sunday, was between him, Trump, Starmer, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. “Tomorrow, President Putin should present he needs peace by accepting the 30-day unconditional ceasefire proposed by President Trump and backed by Ukraine and Europe,” Macron wrote.
In an X publish, Merz echoed Macron’s sentiments that Putin should settle for the ceasefire proposal. “We need to proceed this alternate right now,” he wrote.
In an X publish, Meloni mentioned Moscow must “critically have interaction” by direct contact.
What’s the state of the battle?
On Sunday, Russia launched its largest drone assault for the reason that starting of the battle, Ukraine mentioned, killing no less than one girl. The Ukrainian air pressure mentioned Russia launched 273 drones on Sunday morning. Afterward Sunday, Kyiv’s intelligence service claimed that it believed Russia deliberate to fireplace an intercontinental ballistic missile to intimidate the West. It was not clear if it truly occurred. Moscow has not but responded to those allegations.
Trump had pledged to convey a swift finish to the battle. And beginning in February this 12 months, representatives from the US had separate conferences with Russian and Ukrainian representatives in Saudi Arabia. All three sides agreed on short-term offers, sustaining Black Sea security and halting assaults on energy infrastructure. Russia and Ukraine blamed one another a number of occasions for reneging on the phrases of those offers, which have now expired.
