President Donald Trump wrote Saturday morning in a Truth Social post that he would speak with Russian President Vladmir Putin on Monday to discuss how to end the “bloodbath” in Ukraine.
Why It Matters
Russia and Ukraine have been locked in a war for more than three years after Putin invaded the Eastern European nation in February 2022.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky visited Turkey, this week and offered to meet Putin face-to-face for additional talks, however Putin declined to attend. Meanwhile, Trump said that he did not expect the Russian leader to attend if he didn’t go, which he hadn’t expected to do since he was touring the Middle East.
The resulting game of political chicken ended with neither man showing up in Turkey even as Trump continued to say that he would be happy to detour from his tour “if it was appropriate.”
Russia instead sent a lower-level delegation to Istanbul to meet with Zelensky, but the talks appeared to make little progress.
What To Know
Trump in his Truth Social post outlined a timeline for calls with the leaders of Russia and Ukraine in the coming week, with hopes of pushing them to a final deal to end the ongoing conflict.
“I WILL BE SPEAKING, BY TELEPHONE, TO PRESIDENT VLADIMIR PUTIN OF RUSSIA ON MONDAY, AT 10:00 A.M.,” Trump wrote. “THE SUBJECTS OF THE CALL WILL BE, STOPPING THE “BLOODBATH” THAT IS KILLING, ON AVERAGE, MORE THAN 5000 RUSSIAN AND UKRAINIAN SOLDIERS A WEEK, AND TRADE,”
He continued: “I WILL THEN BE SPEAKING TO PRESIDENT ZELENSKY OF UKRAINE AND THEN, WITH PRESIDENT ZELENSKY, VARIOUS MEMBERS OF NATO. 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. GOD BLESS US ALL!!!”
President Donald Trump speaks to members of the media accompanying him aboard Air Force One, after leaving Abu Dhabi at the end of his Middle East tour on May 16.
President Donald Trump speaks to members of the media accompanying him aboard Air Force One, after leaving Abu Dhabi at the end of his Middle East tour on May 16.
Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images
Kremlin Sets Conditions for Putin-Zelensky Meeting
Zelensky, in a post on X, formerly Twitter, on Saturday urged the international community to maintain pressure on Moscow, reiterating his call for sanctions on Russia should Putin fail to make a real effort at a diplomatic end to the conflict.
“Without tougher sanctions, without stronger pressure, Russia will not seek real diplomacy,” Zelensky wrote.
“Yesterday in Istanbul, everyone saw a weak and unprepared Russian delegation without a meaningful mandate,” he continued. “This must change. Real steps are needed to end the war. We are expecting strong sanctions against Russia from the United States, from Europe, and from all our partners. Diplomacy must start working.”
The Kremlin, however, on Saturday laid out specific conditions that it would need to see before a meeting could take place, but Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said that the list of specific demands for a possible ceasefire will remain private.
“We will not comment on any conditions. I would like to reiterate that the talks are ongoing and must be conducted behind completely closed doors,” Peskov told reporters.
What People Are Saying
President Donald Trump told reporters in Qatar: “We think we’re going to do well with Russia-Ukraine. Five thousand soldiers are being killed every single week on average. Five thousand … They are wiped out.”
He added: “If you see the satellite pictures. I get satellite pictures of that battlefield, and I want to tell you, I’ve never seen anything like that. I wish I never saw it. You have heads and arms and legs strewed all over the field … So, we’re going to see if we can end that.”
Update 5/17/25 at 12:58 p.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional information, context and comment.