Trump has made plans to speak with both Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Monday, according to a message he shared on Truth Social this past Saturday. The goal of these discussions is to talk about how to bring an end to the ongoing war between the two countries.
In the post, Trump noted that his conversation with Putin would begin at 10 a.m. He emphasized that the call would focus on stopping what he described as a “bloodbath” that is reportedly taking the lives of over 5,000 Russian and Ukrainian troops each week. Trade will also be one of the subjects discussed during the call.
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After finishing his talk with the Russian leader, Trump said he plans to follow up with a call to Zelenskyy. He also intends to speak with countries that are part of NATO. These calls will take place just after Trump’s return from a four-day visit to the Middle East, which he completed on Friday.
New Prisoner Exchange Agreement Between Russia and Ukraine
On May 16, representatives from both Russia and Ukraine reached a prisoner exchange deal during a meeting in Istanbul. It marked their first face-to-face negotiations in three years. Prior to this, their most recent direct discussion occurred roughly a month after Russia’s military entered Ukraine in 2022.
During this latest round of dialogue, the two sides agreed to exchange 1,000 prisoners of war in the near future. Both countries also agreed to continue engaging in further talks after the swap.
Although it was expected that both Putin and Zelenskyy would be present for the discussions, Putin decided to skip the meeting and instead sent lower-ranking officials to represent him. In reaction to that move, Zelenskyy appointed his defense minister to lead Ukraine’s side during the talks.
