Trump to speak to Russian, Ukrainian leaders on Monday after talks in Türkiye

U.S. President Donald Trump announced he will speak with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Monday, following direct peace talks between Russia and Ukraine in Istanbul, where new demands were made before agreeing to a ceasefire.

U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Saturday that he would speak with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Monday following talks between Russia and Ukraine. A Ukrainian official revealed that Moscow’s negotiators presented new demands before agreeing to a ceasefire, including the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from territories claimed by Russia.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov confirmed preparations for a call between Putin and Trump. Trump stated he would discuss ending the "bloodbath" of the ongoing war and also address trade issues. Afterward, he plans to speak with Zelenskyy and NATO members, expressing hope that the day would lead to a productive ceasefire and an end to the conflict.

The Istanbul talks on Friday marked the first direct meeting between the two sides since March 2022. Although the meeting lasted only an hour and forty minutes, it resulted in an agreement to exchange 1,000 prisoners of war from each side. The timing of the exchange remains unclear.

Meanwhile, Zelenskyy called for tougher sanctions on Russia after a Russian drone strike killed nine civilians in Ukraine's Sumy region, describing the attack as a deliberate targeting of civilians. He stressed that without stronger sanctions, Russia would not pursue genuine diplomacy. Russia, for its part, denied targeting civilians and claimed the strike was on a military facility.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, welcoming the prisoner exchange and reiterating Trump’s call for an immediate ceasefire. However, Moscow’s negotiators insisted that Ukrainian forces withdraw from regions like Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, and Luhansk before agreeing to a ceasefire.

Despite the progress on the prisoner swap, Ukraine and Western leaders, including the U.S., demand an unconditional 30-day ceasefire. In response to Russia’s demands, Zelenskyy called for more international pressure, with European leaders, including British Foreign Secretary David Lammy and French President Emmanuel Macron, criticizing the lack of substantial progress in the talks. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced that the EU is preparing new sanctions aimed at suffocating Russia’s economy.

While Ukraine and its European allies continue to push for a united stance, Trump’s involvement in the peace talks has complicated the situation. He has pressured Zelenskyy to accept direct negotiations with Russia, asserting that peace talks cannot progress until he has met with Putin. The Kremlin stated that Putin is open to meeting Trump, but only if certain conditions are met, and no further contacts have been made since Friday's talks.

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