President Trump said he will speak with Russian President Vladimir Putin early next week after the Russian leader opted to skip peace talks with Ukraine in Turkey.
Mr. Trump has pressed both sides to find an end to the war, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy agreeing to a U.S.-brokered 30-day ceasefire. The Kremlin hasn’t signed off on the plan and continues to attack Ukraine.
After Mr. Putin spurned the Turkey meeting, Mr. Trump vowed that he would soon speak to the Russian president on his way back from the United Arab Emirates on Friday.
“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 5,000 Russian and Ukrainian soldiers a week, and trade,” Mr. Trump he wrote in all capital letters Saturday.
“I will then be speaking to President Zelenskyy of Ukraine and then, with President Zelenskyy, various members of NATO,” he continued. “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!”
Mr. Trump’s decision to call his Russian counterpart comes after speculation swirled as to whether he would drop in on the Turkey confab after his tour across the Middle East.
Originally, Mr. Putin suggested that he and Mr. Zelenskyy should talk about finding a peace solution, putting in motion the meeting in Turkey. But once the Ukrainian leader and his team arrived in the country, it was clear that Mr. Putin would be a no-show.
Mr. Zelenskyy posted Saturday on X that a Russian drone strike hit a bus, killing nine and wounding seven others. He accused the Kremlin of the “deliberate killing of civilians” with the strike.
“Yesterday, as on any other day of this war, there was an opportunity to cease fire,” he said. “Ukraine has long been offering this — a full and unconditional ceasefire in order to save lives. Russia retains nothing but the ability to continue killing.”
He said that “pressure” must be exerted on Russia.
“Yesterday in Istanbul, everyone saw a weak and unprepared Russian delegation without a meaningful mandate. This must change,” Mr. Zelenskyy said. “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. I thank everyone around the world who is truly helping — not with words, but with strength. Peace is essential.”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that unless Mr. Trump and Mr. Putin engaged directly, he didn’t believe “anything productive” would happen.
“Frankly, at this point, I think it’s abundantly clear that the only way we’re going to have a breakthrough here is between President Trump and President Putin,” Mr. Rubio said this week. “It’s going to require that level of engagement to have a breakthrough in this matter.”
