Trump Plans Call with Putin Amid Ukraine Conflict
On Saturday, President Trump announced he would speak with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday, highlighting the administration’s growing frustration with Moscow concerning the war in Ukraine.
“I will be on the phone and speak to Russian President Vladimir Putin at 10 am on Monday,” he wrote regarding the situation. “We will discuss stopping the ‘blood bath,’ which is taking the lives of over 5,000 Russian and Ukrainian soldiers daily, and halting ongoing hostilities.”
Additionally, Trump mentioned he would talk about the prolonged conflict, which has lasted over three years, involving Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and NATO leaders as the U.S. aims to facilitate a peace agreement in Eastern Europe.
“Hopefully it’s a productive day, and we can achieve a ceasefire in this violent war, a conflict that should never have occurred,” he added.
This announced call follows Trump’s remarks to reporters on Friday, expressing his intent to arrange a meeting with Putin “as soon as possible.”
The Trump administration has been advocating for negotiations between two Eastern European nations regarding a proposed 30-day ceasefire for several months.
Key officials from the administration, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, have indicated that a genuine agreement with Moscow will likely necessitate a face-to-face meeting between Trump and Putin.
“The only way to have a breakthrough between President Trump and Putin is for them to meet up,” Rubio stated.
The upcoming call coincides with ongoing peace talks in Istanbul between Russian and Ukrainian negotiators, marking the first in-person discussions in three years.
During a conversation with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Saturday, Rubio expressed his approval of a prisoner exchange agreement reached in Turkey, reiterating the Trump administration’s commitment to securing a lasting resolution to the Russian-Ukrainian conflict.
This announcement follows a tragic Russian drone strike in northeastern Ukraine that claimed at least nine lives early Saturday.
