US President Donald Trump was set to speak with Russian leader Vladimir Putin to push for a cease-fire in the ongoing Ukraine war. Scheduled to simultaneously hold a call with Ukrainian President Zelenskyy, Trump emphasized the need to stop the violence and affirmed that if he can't negotiate peace, no one can. This renewed diplomatic effort follows face-to-face talks in Istanbul between Russian and Ukrainian officials. However, those talks yielded only limited progress, with maximalist demands from Russia reportedly rejected by Ukraine and its allies.
Trump had announced the calls after Russian and Ukrainian negotiations met in Istanbul for face-to-face talks. It was the first time the two sides have met since the early weeks after Russia launched its all-out invasion in February 2022.
Steve Witkoff, a White House envoy who has met three times already with Putin, predicted the conversation with Putin would 'will go a long way toward identifying where we are and how we complete this negotiation.'
'The subjects of the call will be stopping the 'bloodbath',' Trump wrote in a post to social media. 'Hopefully it will be a productive day, a cease-fire will take place, and this very violent war, a war that should have never happened, will end.'
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