President Donald Trump said he will hold separate calls with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Monday, in a renewed effort to broker a ceasefire more than three years into the war between the two countries.
Trump announced the planned talks on his social media platform, Truth Social, following a rare round of negotiations in Turkey between Russian and Ukrainian delegations. The meeting, held on Friday, marked the first direct contact between the two sides since March 2022, weeks after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
“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, adding that the call with Putin is scheduled for 10 AM Eastern time Monday (1400 GMT).
He said he would speak afterwards with Zelenskyy and several NATO leaders.
“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,” Trump wrote.
The Kremlin confirmed preparations were underway for the conversation with Trump, according to Russian news agencies citing spokesman Dmitry Peskov. However, it declined to comment on the specifics of Russia’s position during Friday’s talks.
A senior Ukrainian official familiar with the negotiations told the Associated Press that Moscow’s team presented new demands, including that Ukrainian forces withdraw from all territories claimed by Russia — a condition Kyiv has repeatedly rejected.
The talks in Ankara lasted one hour and 40 minutes and resulted in a tentative agreement to exchange 1,000 prisoners of war on each side. No date has been set for the transfer.
Trump, who had offered to travel to Turkey last week while in the Gulf if Putin agreed to attend, said he continues to pressure both leaders for a ceasefire.
Meanwhile, tensions remained high on the battlefield. On Saturday, Zelenskyy called for tougher international sanctions on Moscow after a Russian drone strike in Ukraine’s northeastern Sumy region killed nine civilians aboard a passenger bus.
“This was a deliberate killing of civilians,” Zelenskyy said in a statement, describing the attack as further evidence of Russia’s disregard for human life.
The war has killed tens of thousands and displaced millions since its outbreak in February 2022. Previous international efforts at mediation have faltered amid escalating demands and persistent fighting along the front lines.
