Moscow [Russia], May 19 : US President Donald Trump is expected to speak with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on a phonecall on Monday.
This follows the face-to-face meeting of US Vice President JD Vance and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Rome on Sunday, the first time that both the leaders met after their public face-off in the White House Oval office this February.
Trump had on Saturday in a post on Truth Social said that he will hold talks with Putin over phone at 10 am ET (7:30 pm India time) on Monday and then call Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and leaders of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (Nato) countries France, UK, Germany, and Italy.
Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed to TASS news outlet that preparations for the conversation are underway.
The Russian state media reported that the two leaders last spoke on March 18, and the conversation focused on the Ukrainian and West Asian settlements as well as bilateral relations. It said that at that time, Putin supported Trump's idea of a ceasefire in Ukraine, but only with some reservations. He immediately ordered an end to strikes on energy facilities and even ordered the Russian Armed Forces to stop firing shells. There was no reciprocal move from the Kiev regime, TASS reported.
Before that Putin and Trump held a telephone conversation on February 12.
Ahead of today's call, Trump had on Saturday in his post on Truth Social 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."
Representatives from Ukraine and Russia held face-to-face talks in Turkey last Friday, which ended without any breakthrough.
After his Sunday's meeting with Zelenskyy in Rome, Vance posted on X "Our countries share the goal of ending unnecessary bloodshed in Ukraine, and we discussed updates on the ongoing negotiations for a ceasefire and lasting peace." The post was accompanied by a photo of him with Zelensky, both sporting big smiles.
Zelensky also posted a picture with Vance with a "thank you" note.
"Good meeting with JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Rome. We discussed the talks in Istanbul, where the Russians sent a low-level delegation with no decision-making powers," the Ukranian leader posted on X.
Further, he said, "We have also touched upon the need for sanctions against Russia, bilateral trade, defense cooperation, battlefield situation and upcoming prisoners exchange. Pressure is needed against Russia until they are eager to stop the war. And, of course, we talked about our joint steps to achieve a just and durable peace."
Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Saturday spoke to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stressing the US' commitment to ending the conflict, according to State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce.
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