In a bold move to address the escalating conflict in Ukraine, President Donald Trump has announced a pivotal call with Russian President Vladimir Putin set for Monday.
According to the Daily Mail, this development comes as Trump seeks to broker peace in the ongoing war, planning subsequent discussions with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and various NATO leaders, while violence persists with devastating casualties on both sides.
The conflict, which Trump has called a tragic event that should never have occurred, claims over 5,000 lives weekly among Russian and Ukrainian forces.
Expressing optimism, Trump hopes Monday’s dialogues will pave the way for a cessation of hostilities. He emphasized his intent to leverage his rapport with Putin to facilitate a potential agreement.
As violence surges, recent reports from Ukraine detail devastating attacks, including a drone strike in Sumy that killed nine civilians and injured four, according to Zelensky.
Just days ago, Russian and Ukrainian officials convened in Istanbul for their first face-to-face meeting in three years, though it lasted less than two hours. While no truce was achieved, both sides agreed to exchange 1,000 prisoners of war as a small step forward.
Russia’s demands at the meeting included Ukraine’s withdrawal from territories like Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, and Crimea, alongside international acknowledgment of these areas as Russian.
Additionally, Moscow insisted on Ukrainian neutrality, barring foreign military presence and weapons of mass destruction, while dismissing any claims for war reparations.
These conditions starkly oppose a U.S.-drafted plan that proposed financial compensation for Ukraine, revealing a significant gap in negotiation positions. President Putin did not attend the Istanbul summit, delegating representation to his former culture minister.
Meanwhile, Zelensky plans to attend the inaugural Mass of Pope Leo in St. Peter’s Square, Rome, on May 18, 2025, marking the start of the new papacy for 1.4 billion Catholics. He will travel with a U.S. delegation that includes Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Vice President JD Vance, despite his past tensions with Vance stemming from a heated Oval Office encounter in February.
After the Vatican event, Zelensky is expected to meet with Trump the following day. In the meantime, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Rubio have agreed to keep communication open after speaking by phone recently. Reflecting on the path ahead, Trump shared his determination to drive progress in ending the conflict. Here are his thoughts on the upcoming talks:
Hopefully it will be a productive day, a ceasefire will take place, and this very violent war, a war that should never have happened, will end. I have a very good relationship with Putin. I think we'll make a deal.
As diplomatic efforts intensify, the human toll of the war remains staggering, with recent shelling in Kherson killing two and injuring 13, including aid workers, and overnight airstrikes in Kharkiv claiming two lives and wounding at least 12 on Saturday, alongside Russia’s claim of capturing Oleksandropil village in Donetsk.
With Trump’s upcoming calls, the international community watches closely as violence continues unabated, hoping for a breakthrough to halt the devastating losses on both sides, while acknowledging the deep-rooted challenges posed by conflicting territorial and political demands.
