Trump to Call Putin Monday in Push for Ukraine Peace Talks

U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Saturday, May 17, via his Truth Social platform, that he will hold a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday at 10 a.m. The conversation comes just one day after the first direct peace talks between Russia and Ukraine since 2022.

According to Trump, the main topic of the call will be “ending the bloodshed,” referring to a war that, he says, “kills more than 5,000 Russian and Ukrainian soldiers every week on average.” Trade will also be on the agenda.

Following his conversation with Putin, Trump is expected to speak with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, and later with several NATO leaders. “Let’s hope this will be a productive day, that a ceasefire will be reached, and that this very violent war—a war that never should have happened—will come to an end,” he wrote, closing his message with: “God bless us all!!!”

Paving the Way for a Putin-Zelensky Meeting?

Diplomatic momentum appears to be building. On Friday, a Ukrainian delegation proposed a summit between Zelensky and Putin. The Kremlin responded Saturday that such a meeting would be “possible,” provided both sides reach prior agreements. If it happens, it would mark the first face-to-face encounter between the two leaders since Russia launched its invasion in February 2022.

Russian Strikes Kill Civilians

Despite diplomatic overtures, the violence on the ground continues. On Saturday, at least nine civilians were killed in the Sumy region when a minibus was targeted by a Russian strike. In Kherson, two people were killed and 13 injured in attacks on a residential area and a humanitarian aid truck. In the Kharkiv region, two more were killed and around ten wounded in the past 24 hours.

Macron Backs Trump’s Peace Drive

French President Emmanuel Macron expressed support for Trump’s initiative during a press conference Saturday in Tirana, Albania, alongside Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama. “A president has been elected by the American people. He came with a vital ambition: to make peace,” Macron said. He added that he was “confident” Trump, mindful of the United States’ credibility, would respond firmly to Vladimir Putin’s “cynicism.”