Trump’s Productive Call with Putin
On Sunday, President Trump described his phone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin as “very productive,” occurring just hours before his scheduled meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Florida.
While Mr. Trump characterized the call as “good and very productive,” he did not disclose specific topics discussed. Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov noted that the conversation lasted over an hour, during which both leaders acknowledged that a temporary truce would not halt the ongoing violence in Ukraine.
Ushakov mentioned that Mr. Trump plans to speak with Mr. Putin again after concluding his discussions with Mr. Zelenskyy.
The president was set to meet Mr. Zelenskyy at 1 p.m. on Sunday at his Mar-a-Lago estate to finalize details regarding a new strategy aimed at resolving the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
Following their meeting, Mr. Trump indicated that he and Mr. Zelenskyy might reach out to several European leaders by phone. Earlier this week, Mr. Zelenskyy had conversations with leaders from France, Finland, Germany, Italy, and Poland.
The meeting was arranged last week by U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, who is Mr. Trump’s son-in-law, following a phone call with the Ukrainian leader.
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This summit comes on the heels of a severe Russian missile and drone strike on Kyiv on Saturday that resulted in one fatality and left 22 others injured. In response to this attack, Mr. Zelenskyy asserted that Mr. Putin shows no interest in pursuing peace.
The upcoming discussions between Mr. Trump and Mr. Zelenskyy occur as Kyiv expresses willingness to make significant concessions in peace negotiations, including potentially withdrawing some forces from the contested Donbas region to establish a demilitarized zone.
In contrast, Russia has called for continued dialogue with the U.S. and its allies but has dismissed proposals for a temporary ceasefire while insisting on retaining control over all territories currently held by its military forces in Ukraine.
