London – President Donald Trump is expected to talk to Russian President Vladimir Putin around 10 am on Monday, since the White House continues its impulse for the end of the 3 -year Ukraine invasion of Moscow after the peace conversations last week in Estanbul, Turkey.
“The calls of the call will be, to stop the ‘Bloodbath’ that is killing, on average, more than 5,000 Russian and Ukrainian soldiers per week, and trade,” Trump wrote in a publication to his Truth social website on Saturday.
“Then I will talk to President Zelenskyy of Ukraine and then, with President Zelenskyy, several NATO members,” Trump added.
The direct contact renewed with Putin, the last direct telephone call publicly known between the two presidents took place in February, occurs after Trump’s hopes for peace conversations occurred in Istanbul, he reduced, Putin refused to attend despite the invitation of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to do so.
Istanbul’s conversations were the first known meeting between representatives of Moscow and kyiv from the spring of 2022, when the Turkish city organized the final round of failed peace negotiations to end the developing invasion of Russia.
Once it was clear that Putin would not attend, Trump told journalists about the peace effort: “Nothing will happen until Putin and I get together, okay?”
This combined photo shows President Donald Trump on May 16, 2025, in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, and Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin in Moscow, on May 10, 2025.
AP
“And obviously I was not going to go,” Trump added. “I was going to go, but he thought he was going.
The repeated Trump threats of more sanctions to Russia so far have not been able to precipitate any remarkable change in the Moscow war objectives, which, according to the public statements of the officials, still include the cedition of Ukraine of four regions, which the Russian forces do not control completely, more Crimea, as well as a permanent block in Kyiv’s access to Nadui.
Putin said Sunday that any peace agreement with Ukraine should “eliminate the causes that triggered this crisis” and “guarantee the security of Russia.”
kyiv and his European sponsors are still pressing the full 30 -day fire for a high, time during which they say that peace negotiations can take place. Until now, Moscow has refused to support the proposal, which suggests that all Western military aid to Ukraine would have to stop as part of any high fire.
The contacts between American, Russian and Ukrainian officials continued after the end of the conversations in Istanbul. On Saturday, Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, spoke with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
The state department spokesman Tammy Bruce said Rubio welcomed a prisoner exchange agreement reached during the Istanbul meeting and emphasized Trump’s call for a high immediate fire.
Vice President JD Vance also met with Zelenskyy in the Vatican on Saturday, after the offer of Pope Leo XIV of organizing a bilateral meeting.
After the meeting, Zelenskyy wrote in X that he had “reaffirmed that Ukraine is ready to participate in real diplomacy and stressed the importance of a high full and unconditional fire as soon as possible.”
“We have also mentioned the need for sanctions against Russia, bilateral commerce, defense cooperation, situation on the battlefield and the next exchange of prisoners,” Zelenskyy continued. “Pressure against Russia is needed until they are eager to stop war.”
The Foreign Minister of Ukraine, Andrii Sybiha, wrote on Monday that the Istanbul meeting highlighted a “clear difference” between Moscow and kyiv. “Ukraine is prospective, the full and immediate fire focuses on the high fire to initiate the real peace process. On the contrary, Russia is completely focused on the past, rejecting the high fire and, instead, constantly speaks about 2022 Istancul meetings, trying to make the same absurd demands as three years ago.”
“This is another reason why the pressure on Russia must be increased,” added Sybiha. “Moscow must now understand the consequences of preventing the peace process.”
Meanwhile, long -range attacks continued on both sides. On Sunday night until Monday morning, the Ukraine Air Force said Russia launched 112 drones into the country, of which 76 were demolished or stuck. Damage was reported in five regions of Ukraine, said the Air Force in a telegram position.
The Russian Ministry of Defense said Monday morning that their forces had knocked down 35 Ukrainian drones during the night.
A Ukrainian soldier has a mortar shell in a frontline position in the Donetsk region of Ukraine on May 16, 2025.
Sofiia Gatilova/Reuters
