Trump says will speak to Putin to end Ukraine ‘bloodbath’
AFP/APP
Kyiv, Ukraine: US President Donald Trump said Saturday he would speak by phone with Russian President Vladimir Putin to end the “bloodbath” in Ukraine, a day after the first direct talks between Russia and Ukraine in more than three years.
Trump, who has been pressing Russia to agree to a 30-day unconditional ceasefire, said he would speak with Putin by phone on Monday. Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov told the state TASS news agency the call was “being prepared.”
Earlier Saturday, the Kremlin said a meeting between Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky would be possible only after both sides reach an agreement. That came a day after direct talks between the two countries led to an agreement for another exchange of prisoners.
Early Saturday, a Russian drone attack on a minibus carrying evacuated civilians in Ukraine’s eastern Sumy region killed nine people and wounded five, local authorities said. Zelensky, denouncing the attack and Russia’s refusal so far to agree to a ceasefire, repeated his call for fresh sanctions against Moscow.
“Without stronger sanctions, without stronger pressure on Russia, there will be no real diplomacy there,” he insisted.
On Sunday morning, local authorities in the Kyiv region reported that a woman had been killed in a drone attack in Obukhiv district. Another woman, a man, and a four-year-old child were wounded in the strike, which hit a private house, according to Mykola Kalashnyk, head of the Kyiv region’s military administration.
On Friday in Istanbul, the first direct Ukraine-Russia talks since the spring of 2022 — shortly after Moscow’s full-scale invasion that February — led to an agreement to exchange 1,000 prisoners each. Ukraine’s top negotiator, Defence Minister Rustem Umerov, said the “next step” would be a meeting between Zelensky and Putin.
Trump Denounces ‘Bloodbath’
Russia said it had taken note of the request.
“We consider it possible, but only as a result of the work and upon achieving certain results in the form of an agreement between the two sides,” the Kremlin’s spokesperson said.
Russia’s top negotiator Vladimir Medinsky said Moscow and Kyiv would “present their vision of a possible future ceasefire”, without giving a specific timeline. The Kremlin emphasized that the prisoner swap must be completed first, and both sides need to present their visions for a ceasefire before any further talks are scheduled.
“For now, we need to do what the delegations agreed on yesterday” in Turkey, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, referring to the “1,000 for 1,000” swap.
The head of Ukraine’s military intelligence, Kirillo Budanov, told broadcaster TSN he hoped the exchange would happen next week.
Posting on Truth Social Saturday, Trump said he would speak to Putin on Monday to discuss finding a way out of the “BLOODBATH”. He added that he would then speak to Zelensky and NATO officials, expressing hope that a ceasefire would take place and the “very violent war… will end.”
Both Moscow and Washington have already stressed the need for a meeting between Putin and Trump. Trump has argued that:
“Nothing’s going to happen” on the conflict until he meets Putin face-to-face.
‘Real Progress’
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio welcomed the latest prisoner exchange in a phone call with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. In an interview with CBS, Rubio said Lavrov had informed him that Moscow was preparing a document outlining its requirements for a ceasefire.
“If Russia and Moscow can both provide serious and viable proposals, then there’s been real progress, and we can work off of that,” Rubio said.
The bus attack occurred near the city of Bilopillya, according to local community head Yuri Zarko. A family of three were among the dead, the authorities confirmed.
Elsewhere on the frontlines, the Russian army claimed it had captured the village of Oleksandropil in the eastern Donetsk region, the site of intense fighting.
Zelensky accused Putin of being “afraid” after declining to travel to Turkey for talks and claimed Russia was not taking negotiations seriously.
“Yesterday in Istanbul, everyone saw a weak and unprepared Russian delegation with no significant powers. This must change. We need real steps to end the war,” Zelensky said Saturday.
On Friday, Zelensky had called for a “strong reaction” from the international community, including new sanctions, if the Istanbul talks failed.
French President Emmanuel Macron said European nations were coordinating with Washington on additional sanctions should Moscow continue to refuse an “unconditional ceasefire.”
On Saturday, Zelensky said he had spoken to Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney about fresh and effective sanctions against Russia.
During the Istanbul talks, Ukraine stated that Russia had made “unacceptable” territorial demands. Moscow continues to claim annexation of five Ukrainian regions — four since its 2022 invasion and Crimea, annexed in 2014.
