According to Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov, preparations are underway for the phone conversation between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump, which Trump has scheduled for Monday.
Peskov stated in comments cited by Russian news outlets, “A conversation is being prepared.”
In his highly publicized statement on his social media platform Truth Social, Trump stated that the subjects of discussion would encompass not only Russia’s conflict with Ukraine but also trade.
The US president, who made a pledge to end the war in Ukraine quickly during the campaign last year, said he would then speak with NATO members and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky over the phone.
Rubio of the United States spoke with Lavrov of Russia: State Department:
A day after Ukrainian and Russian negotiators met in Istanbul, Turkey, for the first time in more than three years, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov spoke over the phone on Saturday, according to the US State Department.
According to the department’s spokesperson, Rubio praised the prisoner exchange deal that was made during the brief discussions on Friday.
Rubio also emphasized US President Donald Trump’s demand for a rapid ceasefire, the agency said.
Trump has stated that he will talk to Vladimir Putin, his Russian counterpart, on Monday.
The call between Rubio and Lavrov, as well as the fact that the former had applauded the news of a prisoner exchange, had been verified by Russia’s Foreign Ministry.
In a post on social media, US President Donald Trump stated that he hopes to speak with Russian President Vladimir Putin over the phone on Monday about ending the crisis in Ukraine and that “it will be a productive day.”
“I will be speaking, by telephone, to President Vladimir Putin of Russia on Monday, at 10:00 a.m.,” Trump wrote in all caps in a post on his Truth Social platform. “The call will focus on trade and halting the ‘bloodbath’ that kills over 5,000 Russian and Ukrainian soldiers every week on average.”
“I will then be speaking to President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine and then, with President Zelensky, various members of NATO,” he continued.
Source: DW News
