President Donald Trump announced he plans to speak with Russian President Vladimir Putin next week to put an end to what he called the “bloodbath” in Ukraine. Growing impatient with the never-ending war, Trump positioned himself as the only leader capable of brokering peace. The president emphasized the staggering loss of life and vowed to stop the senseless conflict.
In a Truth Social post on Saturday, Trump announced that he would speak with Putin at 10 am on Monday, following the first round of direct talks between Russia and Ukraine in Istanbul since the early aftermath of the 2022 invasion. This comes after Putin opted out of attending peace talks between Russia and Ukraine in Turkey.
“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,” Trump wrote. “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!!!”
After wrapping up his four-day trip to the Middle East this week, Trump told reporters that he would soon call Putin in hopes of solving the conflict.
“He and I will meet, and I think we'll solve it or maybe not,” Trump said. “At least we'll know. And if we don't solve it, it'll be very interesting.”
While Moscow has not officially responded to news of the planned conversation between Trump and Putin, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated on Saturday that Russia remains open to a possible meeting between the Russian president and Ukrainian President Zelensky— but only if meaningful progress is made in peace negotiations.
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The Kremlin also stated that a peace agreement would require Ukraine to declare itself neutral, giving up any plans to join NATO. Additionally, Ukraine would need to agree not to host foreign troops or weapons on its soil and formally recognize Russian control over Crimea and the four disputed regions.
As part of his push to negotiate a peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine, Trump said he’s prepared to put economic pressure on Moscow, promising to drive down oil prices and impose new sanctions if Russia refuses to come to the table soon. Trump said he has a strong relationship with Putin and believes they can reach a deal, adding that he’s ready to meet directly with Putin himself, expressing frustration with relying on others to handle the talks.
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