US President Donald Trump said he would discuss the end of the war in Ukraine to speak with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. His announcement came the day after the decisive end of direct talks between Russia and Ukraine hosted by Torkier.
Before Trump’s call with Putin, European leaders spoke to the US president and expressed their hope that Putin would accept a ceasefire. After speaking with Putin, Trump said he intends to speak to Ukrainian President Voldimi Zelensky.
Here, there will be talks about a potential ceasefire between Kiev and Moscow, more than three years after Russia began a full-scale Ukrainian invasion in February 2022.
What did Trump say?
In his true social platform post, Trump wrote that he would talk to Putin at 10am (14:00 GMT). “The subject of the call will be to stop “Bloodbath,” which kills on average more than 5,000 Russian and Ukrainian soldiers, and trade,” Trump said in the post.
He added that after speaking with Putin he would also talk to Zelensky and various NATO members.
“A ceasefire will come, and this extremely violent war, a war that would never have happened, will end. God will bless us all!!!”
What happened during the discussions between the Russian Ukraine in Istanbul?
On Friday, Torkiye held in-person talks between Russia and Ukraine for the first time since the early days of the war at Dolmabas Palace in Istanbul.
The talks proposed by Putin were originally scheduled for Thursday, but have been postponed until one day. Before the discussions, Zelensky had announced that if Putin also attended the meeting, he would personally attend.
However, on Wednesday, the Kremlin announced that Putin would not be present, and instead announced a negotiating team led by a former Minister of Culture, who led a failed Russian delegation on the war in Ukraine.
In response, Zelensky, who was in Ankara, who met Turkish President Receptacle Tayyip Erdogan, appointed his defense minister to lead the Ukrainian delegation.
The talks were ultimately held on Friday, but the ceasefire failed to provide a breakthrough. However, both sides have reached a prisoner exchange agreement. Representatives from both sides confirmed that countries agreed to release 1,000 prisoners of war. Vladimir Medinsky, the leader of the Russian delegation and Putin’s advisor, said the exchange would take place “in the coming days.”
The two teams also discussed a potential meeting between Putin and Zelensky. Zelensky’s legitimacy as a leader in Ukraine has been frequently questioned by the Russian president.
What holds a ceasefire?
Zelenskyy said that Putin’s empty seats at the negotiation table continued to prevent the formation of a ceasefire as Russia was represented by a low-level delegation of staff who were not authorized to make decisions.
However, while Ukrainian leaders were critical of Putin, Trump seemed sympathetic. In the second round of his trip to the Middle East last week, at a press conference in Doha, Qatar, Trump suggested that it is unrealistic to expect Putin to attend the talks unless the US president is also present.
He doubled that view a few hours later. “Nothing will happen until Putin and I get together,” Trump told reporters Thursday. One flight to the United Arab Emirates visited after Qatar by the US President
“Everyone could see that the Russian delegation in Istanbul is on a very low level. None of them were people who actually made decisions in Russia.
What do each side say?
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed with Russian news outlets that Putin will talk to Trump on Monday.
Meanwhile, Zelensky met with Roman Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Roman Secretary of State Marco Rubio to meet Pope Leo XIII about the connection of the first Mass.
“We reaffirmed that Ukraine is ready to engage in real diplomacy and emphasized the importance of a complete and unconditional ceasefire as soon as possible.”
On Friday, after consultations, Zelensky wrote to X: He also said long-term US support is essential.
Ukraine is seeking an unconditional 30-day ceasefire. However, Russia raised concerns that Ukraine might use such a ceasefire to mobilize and mobilize more troops.
What do you say about Europe?
Before Trump was called Putin, leaders from the UK, the US, Italy, France and Germany discussed the war in Ukraine, a spokesman representing the UK’s Kiel Starmer office said on Monday.
French President Emmanuel Macron wrote that the conversation that took place on Sunday was between him, Trump, his ancestors, German Prime Minister Friedrich Merz and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. “Tomorrow, President Putin must demonstrate that he wants peace by embracing the unconditional 30-day ceasefire proposed by President Trump and supported by Ukraine and Europe,” Macron wrote.
In X’s post, Meltz reflected Macron’s sentiment that Putin must accept the ceasefire proposal. “We want to continue this exchange today,” he wrote.
In a post on X, Meloni said that Moscow should be “seriously involved” through direct contact.
What could happen during a call?
“I’ve heard it’s a very important call from the Russian side, and I’ve heard that President Putin is high in his direct talk to Trump to resolve the war in Ukraine and resolve some economic issues regarding bilateral relations with the US,” Marina Milon, a postdoctoral researcher at King College London, told Al Jazeera.
Meanwhile, Milon said that the Ukrainian side was skeptical and “that’s what Putin says is just a limp.”
She explained that there could be three possible outcomes from the phone.
First, Putin and Trump were able to agree to some sort of ceasefire. Second, they could find the opposite or midfield. However, Miron assumed that the third option was the most likely outcome. “We have to say that while the Russians are ready to speak, we are ready to go for a ceasefire, but here’s a list of conditions.”
“I think it’s important here to show that Europe has very few roles to play in this. Ukraine doesn’t have that much if this is resolved between Putin and Trump,” Miron said.
Referring to the news that European leaders are “trying to influence Trump before calls to defend Europe’s position,” Miron said:
“Trump understands that the United States doesn’t have many options either. We will cut off all support for Ukraine and continue to support Ukraine so that it can be resolved on the battlefield with the Russians.” Trump had insisted on reducing US military aid to Ukraine.
What is the state of war?
On Sunday, Russia launched its biggest drone attack since the start of the war, saying Ukraine had killed at least one woman. The Ukrainian Air Force said Russia launched 273 drones on Sunday morning. Later that day, Kiev’s intelligence agency claimed it believed Russia was planning to launch intercontinental ballistic missiles to threaten the West. It was not clear if that actually happened. Moscow has not yet responded to these allegations.
Trump had promised to bring a quick end to the war. And from February, US representatives held separate meetings with Saudi Arabia’s Russian and Ukrainian officials. All three aspects agreed to a temporary deal, maintained the Black Sea safety and halted attacks on energy infrastructure. Russia and Ukraine have repeatedly accused each other of abolishing the terms of these transactions.