Trump and Putin likely to discuss Ukraine this week
Washington: US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin are likely to hold discussions this week, officials confirmed on Sunday, amid international efforts to bring an end to the ongoing war in Ukraine.
The United States recently put forward a ceasefire proposal following talks in Saudi Arabia, a move that Ukraine has accepted. However, Putin has yet to provide a definitive response, instead outlining several conditions and raising concerns over the proposal.
Trump’s envoy for the conflict, Steve Witkoff, who met with Putin for several hours in recent days, expressed optimism about the upcoming talks. “I think the two presidents are going to have a really good and positive discussion this week,” Witkoff told CNN.
Meanwhile, Russia’s foreign ministry stated that US Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke with his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, to discuss “concrete aspects of the
implementation of understandings” reached during last month’s US-Russia summit in Saudi Arabia.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Moscow of stalling negotiations to gain a strategic advantage. “They want to first improve their situation on the battlefield before agreeing to any ceasefire,” Zelensky said on Saturday.
The Riyadh summit in February marked the highest-level engagement between the US and Russia since the start of the war in February 2022. While the Russian foreign ministry confirmed that Lavrov and Rubio would remain in contact, it made no mention of Washington’s proposed ceasefire.
State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce stated that the two diplomats had “discussed the next steps” regarding Ukraine. “They agreed to continue working towards restoring communication between the United States and Russia,” Bruce added.
The diplomatic exchanges followed a virtual summit on Ukraine hosted by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. During the event, Starmer criticised Putin’s approach, stating, “The ‘yes, but’ from Russia is not good enough.” He urged Moscow to halt its military actions, calling for an end to the conflict.
Hours later, Ukraine reported that Russia launched 90 Shahed drones targeting nine regions, underscoring the continued intensity of the war. Addressing the ceasefire proposal, Putin reiterated concerns that it would primarily benefit Ukraine, claiming that Russian forces were making advances on multiple fronts.
Despite the diplomatic push, hostilities persist. Ukraine reported a Russian drone strike on Izyum in the Kharkiv region on Sunday, resulting in one fatality. The region, which was initially captured by Russian forces early in the war before being reclaimed by Ukraine, remains a focal point of conflict.
As international leaders press for an agreement, Putin indicated he would discuss Moscow’s concerns directly with Trump in their upcoming call. Zelensky, however, argued that Putin’s reluctance to agree to the ceasefire contradicted Trump’s diplomatic overtures. “He is trying to find ways to avoid ending the war,” Zelensky stated.
With fighting continuing on the ground and diplomatic efforts intensifying, the world awaits the outcome of the anticipated Trump-Putin conversation.
