US President Donald Trump has said that he plans to speak with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Monday to push for a ceasefire.
“I will be speaking by telephone to President Vladimir Putin of Russia on Monday, 10:00 AM local time, Trump wrote on Truth Social on Saturday.
He said he will then call Zelenskyy alongside several NATO leaders, focusing on halting the “bloodbath” that is killing over 5,000 soldiers weekly.
Trump also said he will discuss trade issues with the Russian president.
“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," he wrote.
Russian and Ukrainian delegates held direct talks in the Turkish city of Istanbul on Friday for the first time in over three years. While Zelenskyy travelled to Türkiye, he did not attend the negotiations due to Putin’s absence.
Following a trilateral meeting between Russia, Ukraine, and Türkiye, both sides agreed to release 1,000 prisoners of war each. A separate US-Ukraine-Türkiye meeting was also held on the same day.
The US president said Friday he must meet with Putin to end the war.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov called such a meeting "undoubtedly necessary" but stressed it would require thorough preparation.
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Deft diplomacy by Ankara managed to bring the warring sides together. The onus is now on Moscow and Kiev to find common ground and end the winding war.
Zelenskyy urges tougher sanctions
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said a Russian drone strike on a bus killed nine people and injured seven others.
“All the deceased were civilians,” Zelenskyy wrote on X, adding, “The Russians could not have failed to understand what kind of vehicle they were targeting.”
The wounded are receiving medical treatment for burns, fractures, and blast injuries, he noted.
Zelenskyy condemned Russia for continuing attacks on civilians and reiterated that Ukraine has long offered a “full and unconditional ceasefire”.
“Yesterday (Friday), as on any other day of this war, there was an opportunity to cease fire,” he said.
Referring to the previous day’s peace talks in Istanbul, Zelenskyy criticised the Russian delegation as “weak and unprepared” and claimed it lacked any real mandate for negotiations.
“We are expecting strong sanctions against Russia from the United States, from Europe, and from all our partners,” he said, calling for increased international pressure.
“Diplomacy must start working,” Zelenskyy added. “Peace is essential.”
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