(Updated: )
U.S. President Donald Trump said he will be speaking, by telephone, to President Vladimir Putin of Russia on Monday, at 10 a.m.
Trump’s comments come as peace talks in Istanbul on May 16 ended with no breakthrough, and Russia once again issued sweeping demands, including Ukraine’s adoption of neutral status, dropping claims for war reparations from Moscow and the recognition of its loss of Crimea and four occupied regions none of which Russia fully controls.
"The subjects of the call will be stopping the 'bloodbath' that is killing, on average, more than 5,000 Russian and Ukrainian soldiers a week, and trade," he wrote on Truth Social.
"I will then be speaking to President Zelensky of Ukraine and then, with President Zelensky, various members of NATO," he added. "Hopefully it will be a productive day, a ceasefire will take place, and this very violent war — a war that should have never happened — will end. God bless us all!!!"
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov confirmed to Russia's state-owned TASS news agency on May 17 that the preparations for the call are on the way.
Following his Middle East trip, Trump told Fox News’ Bret Baier in an interview published on May 16 that he believes Putin is ready to strike a deal to end the war in Ukraine, but warned that if negotiations fail, his administration will move forward with sanctions against Moscow.
"Honestly, I will (impose sanctions), if we're not gonna make a deal," Trump said. "This is turkey time, we’re talking turkey, and we’ll see what happens. This would be crushing for Russia because they're having a hard time now with the economy, oil prices are low."
Trump said he believes a deal won't be possible without his involvement and expressed plans to meet with Putin soon, adding: "I have a very good relationship with Putin."
Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio held a phone call on May 17, reportedly initiated by the U.S., to discuss bilateral relations and recent peace talks in Istanbul, Russian state media said.
Lavrov welcomed what he called Washington’s "constructive" role in encouraging Kyiv to accept Putin's proposal to resume talks. Rubio reportedly praised the 1,000-for-1,000 POW exchange and ongoing efforts to define ceasefire terms.
Alex Cadier
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