US President Donald Trump announced on Saturday that he will make phone calls to both of his counterparts Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Monday, in a bid to end the ongoing “very violent” Russia-Ukraine war.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump said the discussions would focus on halting the “bloodbath” that he claimed is killing more than 5,000 Russian and Ukrainian soldiers each week, as well as trade matters. “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 wrote.
Trump said he will first speak with Putin at 10 am on Monday, followed by the telephonic conversation with Zelenskyy. “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!!!” he added.
Donald J Trump said on x “I WILL BE SPEAKING, BY TELEPHONE, TO PRESIDENT VLADIMIR PUTIN OF RUSSIA ON MONDAY, AT 10:00 A.M. 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. I WILL THEN BE SPEAKING TO PRESIDENT ZELENSKYY OF UKRAINE AND THEN, WITH PRESIDENT ZELENSKYY, VARIOUS MEMBERS OF NATO. 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!!! ”
The announcement came just a day after the first direct Russia-Ukraine peace talks in three years failed to produce a ceasefire. Trump had earlier cast doubt on the effectiveness of the Istanbul meeting, declaring that “nothing could happen” until he personally meets Putin.
‘Russia will not seek real diplomacy without pressure’
Zelenskyy, meanwhile, accused the Kremlin of sending “a weak and unprepared” delegation to the talks, suggesting Moscow was not serious about engaging in meaningful peace negotiations.
“Pressure must be exerted on Russia to stop the killings,” he said in post on X on Saturday after a Russian drone strike on a passenger van in northeastern Ukraine killed nine civilians. “Without tougher sanctions, without stronger pressure, Russia will not seek real diplomacy.”
“We are expecting strong sanctions against Russia from the United States, from Europe, and from all our partners. Diplomacy must start working,” Zelenskyy said, urging immediate action in the wake of the civilian deaths.
Trump, who has called for an urgent resolution to the war that began with Russia’s invasion in February 2022, added that meaningful progress would not come without a direct leader-to-leader conversation. “I don’t believe anything’s going to happen, whether you like it or not, until he and I get together,” he said.
