Source: Reuters
Former U.S. President Donald Trump has announced that he will call Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday to discuss ending the war in Ukraine, emphasizing that the conversation will focus on “stopping the bloodshed.”
In a post shared on his social media platform Truth Social, Trump stated the call is scheduled for 10:00 a.m. U.S. Eastern Time (14:00 GMT). Following that, he plans to speak with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as well as several NATO leaders.
This comes after the first direct talks in three years between Russia and Ukraine were held in Istanbul last Friday, though no significant breakthroughs were achieved aside from a mutual agreement to exchange prisoners of war.
Trump expressed willingness to join the negotiations held in Turkey if Putin attended, but the Russian leader reportedly refused to participate in person. Trump’s latest comments follow his repeated claims that the war in Ukraine could be brought to an end swiftly if he personally met with Putin, a suggestion he has raised several times on the campaign trail.
The move is drawing both attention and skepticism internationally, as critics question the appropriateness and potential impact of a private citizen engaging in high-stakes diplomacy, particularly in an active conflict where U.S. policy is officially managed by the Biden administration.
