Trump Plans Ceasefire Calls with Putin and Zelenskyy Amid Renewed Push to End Ukraine War
“Hopefully it will be a productive day, a ceasefire will take place, and this very violent war... will end,” Trump wrote on his social media platform, Truth Social.
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) — U.S. President Donald Trump announced Saturday that he will speak by phone with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday, followed by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and several NATO leaders, in an effort to push for a ceasefire in Ukraine, according to the Associated Press (AP).
Trump said the call with Putin would focus on halting the "bloodbath" in Ukraine, expressing hope that the conversations would lead to an immediate ceasefire and the beginning of the end to a war he described as one that “should have never happened.”
“Hopefully it will be a productive day, a ceasefire will take place, and this very violent war... will end,” Trump wrote on his social media platform, Truth Social.
The Kremlin confirmed preparations for the call, with spokesman Dmitry Peskov telling Russian media that the arrangements for Monday's conversation were underway.
Trump's announcement came just a day after direct peace talks between Moscow and Kyiv in Istanbul—the first in years—failed to secure a ceasefire. Russian President Vladimir Putin dismissed Zelenskyy’s proposal for a face-to-face meeting in Turkey, despite having himself suggested direct negotiations at a lower level. Ukraine and Western allies, including the U.S., had proposed a 30-day ceasefire as a stepping stone to peace, but Moscow resisted.
Meanwhile, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, currently visiting Rome, spoke by phone with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. Rubio suggested the Vatican could serve as a potential venue for future peace negotiations.
On the ground in Ukraine, officials in a northeastern town declared a mourning period after a Russian drone strike killed nine civilians aboard an evacuation bus. The strike came just hours after delegations from Russia and Ukraine left Istanbul, having agreed on what would be the largest prisoner exchange since the war began. Each side pledged to release 1,000 prisoners of war, with Ukrainian intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov stating the swap could happen as early as next week.
Despite these gestures, serious gaps remain between the two sides. The Kremlin has so far rejected the ceasefire proposal supported by Ukraine and its allies, leaving prospects for a swift resolution uncertain.