Donald Trump, the president of the United States, has stated that he will discuss ending the Ukrainian conflict with Vladimir Putin, his Russian counterpart. His announcement came a day after Turkiye’s direct negotiations with Russia and Ukraine ended poorly.
European leaders emailed the US president before Trump’s meeting with him and expressed their hope that Putin would accept a ceasefire. After speaking with Putin, Trump said he plans to speak with Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the president of Ukraine.
More than three years after Russia launched a full-fledged invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, discussions over a potential ceasefire between Kyiv and Moscow continue.
Trump’s statement: what?
Trump stated in a post on his Truth Social platform that he would call Putin at 10:00 AM (14:00 GMT). Trump stated in the post that “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.”
He continued, adding that he would speak with Zelenskyy and various NATO members after speaking with Putin.
This extremely violent war, a war that should have never occurred, will end with a CEASEFIRE. God’s blessings on us all! “!
What transpired during the Istanbul Russia-Ukraine discussions?
For the first time since the start of the war in 2022, Turkiye held direct talks with Russia and Ukraine at Istanbul’s Dolmabahce Palace on Friday.
The talks were originally scheduled for May 15 but were postponed by a day due to a proposal made by Putin. Zelenskyy had made it clear that he would personally attend the discussions if Putin also attended.
However, on May 14, the Kremlin announced that Putin would not attend and instead announced a negotiating team led by a former culture minister who had also led previous Russian delegations in failed Ukraine negotiations.
Zelenskyy appointed his defense minister to lead the Ukrainian delegation while he was in Ankara, where he met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
In the end, the discussions ended on Friday, but no agreement was reached regarding a ceasefire. However, a prisoner-exchange agreement was reached between the two parties. Each nation’s willingness to release 1, 000 war prisoners was confirmed by representatives from both sides. Vladimir Medinsky, the head of the Russian delegation and Putin’s adviser, predicted that the meeting would take place “in the coming days.”
The two organizations also discussed a potential meeting between Putin and Zelenskyy, whose legitimacy as the country’s leader has frequently been questioned by the Russian president.
What prevents a ceasefire?
A ceasefire agreement was prevented from being developed because Russia was represented by a low-level delegation of officials who were unable to make decisions, according to Zelenskyy.
Trump appeared sympathetic despite the Ukrainian leader’s criticism of Putin. Trump made the suggestion at a press conference in Doha, Qatar, last week that Putin should not have been expected to attend the talks unless the US president also showed up.
Hours later, he contradicted that opinion. Trump said to reporters on Thursday on an Air Force One flight to the United Arab Emirates, “Nothing won’t happen until Putin and I get together,” adding that nothing will ever happen.
“Everyone could see that the Russian delegation in Istanbul was very unwell. None of them had actual decision-making experience in Russia. After the discussions in Turkiye came to an end, Zelenskyy wrote in an X-post on Friday.
What are the statements of each side?
Russian media reported that Dmitry Peskov, a spokesman for the Kremlin, had confirmed meeting with Trump on Monday.
On Sunday, Zelenskyy and US Vice President JD Vance sat down for Pope Leo XIV’s inaugural mass in Rome. In another X post, Zelenskyy wrote, “We discussed negotiations in Istanbul where the Russians sent a low level delegation of non-decision-makers.”
I reaffirmed my commitment to a true diplomacy in Ukraine and stressed the value of a swift, unconditional ceasefire.
Following the discussions, Zelenskyy wrote on X: “President Trump wants to end this war. We must maintain our close collaboration with him and maintain the best possible coordination. He added that it is crucial to obtain US support for a long time.
A 30-day, unconditional ceasefire is being demanded by Ukraine. However, Russia has expressed concern that Ukraine might use a truce to rearrange and mobilize more troops.
What is the message of Europe?
Leaders of the United Kingdom, the US, Italy, France, and Germany discussed the war in Ukraine before Trump’s call with Putin, according to a spokesman for British Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s office on Monday.
Trump, Starmer, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni were the subjects of the conversation, according to French President Emmanuel Macron in an X-post. President Putin must show that he wants peace by agreeing to the 30-day, unwavering ceasefire that President Trump has supported in favor of Europe and Ukraine, Macron wrote in a letter.
Merz echoed Macron’s claim that Putin must accept the ceasefire proposal in an X-post. He wrote, “We want to keep this exchange going today.”
In an X-post, Meloni claimed that Moscow should “seriously engage” through direct contact.
What is the current state of the conflict?
At least one woman was killed when Russia launched its largest drone attack since the start of the conflict on Sunday, according to Ukraine. Russia, according to the Ukrainian air force, launched 273 drones early on Sunday. The intelligence service in Kyiv later claimed that it believed Russia intended to launch an intercontinental ballistic missile to intimidate the West later that Sunday. If something actually happened, it wasn’t known. These allegations have not yet been addressed by Moscow.
Source: Aljazeera
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