President Donald Trump spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday, just one day after hosting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at Mar-a-Lago, as the push to end the nearly four-year war in Ukraine intensified.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt described the call with Putin as “positive,” though she declined to share specific details. Trump had already revealed that he spoke with the Russian leader before sitting down with Zelensky, calling it a “productive telephone call” that helped frame the peace talks.
At a press conference following Sunday’s meeting, Trump said a peace agreement between the two warring nations is now “closer than ever.”
“In a few weeks, we will know one way or the other,” Trump said, standing beside Zelensky. “Our meeting was excellent. We have made a lot of progress on ending that war.”
Trump originally introduced a 28-point peace plan last month. After weeks of talks between Trump’s team and Ukrainian negotiators, the plan was condensed to 20 points. Zelensky indicated Monday that Ukraine agrees with 90% of the proposal, while Trump put that number closer to 95%.
Despite those optimistic signs, Russia has continued its military campaign without pause. Over the weekend, Ukrainian cities were pounded by a wave of Russian missile and drone attacks. In Kyiv, at least two civilians were killed and 46 injured in Saturday’s barrage, according to Reuters.
Zelensky claimed the renewed attacks were a direct response to his country’s peace negotiations with Trump.
“Today, Russia demonstrated how it responds to peaceful negotiations between Ukraine and the United States to end Russia’s war against Ukraine,” Zelensky said Saturday.
Russian officials accused Ukraine of attempting to strike a presidential residence with a drone that was intercepted by Russian defense systems. Zelensky dismissed the allegation as a “new lie” from Moscow.
One of the major unresolved issues is the future of the Donbas region, where Russian forces maintain control over most of the territory despite continued Ukrainian resistance. Moscow has also rejected several key conditions in Trump’s plan, including limitations on Ukraine’s future military capabilities, Bloomberg reported.
On Monday, Zelensky raised another point of contention: the length of U.S. and European security guarantees. The current proposal would cover Ukraine for 15 years, with a possibility of renewal. But Zelensky wants much more.
“I would like the guarantee to be much longer,” Zelensky said. “We would like to consider the possibility of 30, 40, 50 years and then it will be a historic decision by Trump.”
The White House has not commented on whether Trump is willing to consider such an extension. With both leaders framing the talks as productive, attention now turns to whether Putin will back down or continue to escalate.
The post Trump Holds ‘Positive’ Call With Putin After Zelensky Meeting appeared first on Real News Now.
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