Trump announces phone call with Vladimir Putin to stop Ukraine ‘bloodbath’
WASHINGTON — President Trump announced he’ll be speaking Monday by phone with Vladimir Putin to stop the “bloodbath” in Ukraine — days after the Russian leader declined to meet President Volodymyr Zelensky for peace ꦡtalks in Turkey.
“I WILL BE SPEAKING, BY TELEPHONE, TO PRESIDENT VLADIMIR PUTIN OF RUSSIA ON MONDAY, AT 10:00 A.M. THE SUBJECTS OF THE CALL WILL BE, STOPPING THE ‘BLOODBATH’ THAT IS KILLING, ON AVERAGE, MORE THAN 5000 RUSSIAN AND UKRAINIAN SOLDIERS A WEEK,” Trump Saturday.
The president also said he is going to discuss trade with Putin — and later reach out to Zelensky as well as NATO leaders.
“HOPEFULLY IT WILL BE A PRODUCTIVE DAY, A CEASEFIRE WILL TAKE PLACE, AND THIS VERY VIOLENT WAR, A WAR THAT SHOULD HAVE NEVER HAPPENED, WILL END,” Trump said. “GOD BLESS US ALL!!!”
Putin skipped the summit in Istanbul, prompting Zelensky to lash out at how “unserious” t🌟he Kremlin is a🎃bout ending its war of aggression and sending .
Kyiv’s leader tapped Defense Minister Rustem Umerov to negotiate with ex-Russian cultural minister Vladimir Medinsky instead.
Trump had initially offered to ser🌠ve as an intermediary between the warring nations, but later sent Secretary of State Marco 🃏Rubio to engage with the Ukrainian and Russian delegations Thursday in Turkey.
Rubio also held a ꧅phone ca🔯ll Saturday with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Saturday after the first round of discussions.
State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce announced that the secretary “welcomed the prisoner exchange agreement” secured during Thursday’s meeting and “emphasized President Trump’s call for an immediate ceasefire and an end to the violence.”
The recent ag🌜reement will set in motion a 1,000 to 1,000 prisoner-of-war exchange between the Ukrainian and Russian militaries.
Kyiv has been strongly push♕ing for a 30-day cease-f��ire as well.
“Ru🍌ssia once again demonstrated tha♊t it does not intend to end the war, having sent a delegation of rather low-level representatives,” Zelensky knocked the Kremlin Thursday on X.
“Moreover, such a Russian approach is a sign of disrespect — toward the world and all partners,” 🔥he added. “We expect a clear and strong response from partners.”
Meanwhile, Moscow is asking for the withdrawal of Ukrainian forces from partially occupied territories including Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, a𒅌nd Kherson.
Trump took a shot at Zelensky in an interview with Fox News’ Bret Baier Friday, saying that the Ukrainian president had “pissed away” billions of dollars in US aid to the war-torn country before expressing confidence that the war will “get solved.”
“We inherited this mess, but I 𝄹think it’s going t💮o get solved,” Trump said.
“I think we’ll do it fast,” he added of a potent🐽ia𒊎l cease-fire in the conflict, saying Putin is “tired of this whole thing. He’s not looking good, and he wants to look good.”