United States (U.S.) President Donald Trump announced that he will speak with Russian President Vladimir Putin tomorrow in an effort to try to stop the war in Ukraine. This announcement comes just a few days after the first direct negotiations between Russia and Ukraine in the last three years, which were held in Istanbul.
Last week, during his stay in the Gulf countries, Trump offered to personally join the negotiations in Turkey if Putin would also attend, but the Kremlin rejected his offer.
For weeks, the U.S. President has been putting pressure on both sides – on Putin and on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy – to reach a ceasefire in the war that has already lasted three years.
According to his post on the Truth Social network, the phone conversation with Putin is scheduled for tomorrow at 10 a.m. Eastern Time (4 p.m. Central European Time).
“The subjects of the call will be, stopping the ‘bloodbath’ that is killing, on average, more than 5.000 Russian and Ukrainian soldiers a week, and trade,” Trump wrote.
He added that after speaking with Putin, he will also contact President Zelenskyy, as well as several NATO member states.
“I hope it will be a productive day, that a ceasefire will be reached, and that this very violent war – a war that never should have happened – will finally come to an end,” Trump stated.
However, Russia has so far not shown a willingness to make significant concessions. According to information from a senior Ukrainian official familiar with the negotiations in Istanbul, Russian representatives made it clear on Friday that they would not agree to a ceasefire until Ukrainian troops fully withdraw from all territories that Moscow considers its own.
It remains to be seen whether Trump’s efforts will bear fruit and bring concrete results in halting the conflict that has so far claimed tens of thousands of lives and left deep political and humanitarian consequences.
