Trump says he will speak by phone with Putin on Monday to discuss war in Ukraine

US President Donald Trump said successful a station connected his societal media level Truth Social that he will speak to Russian President Vladimir Putin connected Monday astir nan warfare successful Ukraine. 

In his post, Trump said nan taxable of nan telephone will beryllium "stopping nan 'bloodbath", aft which he plans to speak to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and "various members of NATO." 

He added that he hopes nan result of these calls will beryllium a ceasefire betwixt Ukraine and Russia. Ending Russia’s warfare was a cardinal run committedness during his statesmanlike campaign. 

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov confirmed successful comments to Russian media that preparations were underway for Monday’s call.

Peskov besides held unfastened nan anticipation of Putin holding talks pinch Zelenskyy, providing nan agreed captive switch goes ahead, and if nan Russian and Ukrainian delegations reached unspecified further “agreements.”

He told reporters that Moscow will coming Ukraine pinch a database of conditions for a ceasefire, but gave nary timeframe, aliases opportunity what needed to hap earlier Zelenskyy and Putin tin meet.

The US President has progressively pressured some Moscow and Kyiv for an extremity to Russia's war. In nan past, he has said he doesn’t expect a important breakthrough successful bid talks unless he and Putin speak directly. 

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio besides said pinch Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov astir bid talks connected Saturday, according to US State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce. 

Russia-Ukraine bid talks successful Turkey

Trump’s announcement comes little than a time aft nan first direct bid talks betwixt Moscow and Kyiv successful years grounded to output a ceasefire.

However, Russia showed small inclination to make concessions. During Friday’s bid talks, they asked Ukraine to retreat from 4 regions Moscow had invaded – nary of which Russia afloat controls. 

While nary statement was reached concerning a ceasefire during these talks, nan 2 sides agreed to speech 1,000 prisoners of warfare each – nan largest specified switch since nan warfare began. 

Ukraine and its Western friends had urged Russia to judge a US-backed 30-day ceasefire. However, Putin rejected this and alternatively projected nan negotiations successful Istanbul “without preconditions.”  

The Russian leader besides spurned an connection by Zelenskyy to meet face-to-face successful nan bid talks. 

Following nan bid talks, Russia launched a drone onslaught connected a rider autobus successful nan Ukrainian region of Sumy which killed at slightest 9 people and injured 7 more. Most of nan passengers successful nan autobus were aged women, according to location authorities.