U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin are set to hold talks this week as global pressure increases on Moscow to accept a ceasefire in Ukraine, officials confirmed Sunday.
Following discussions in Saudi Arabia, the U.S. proposed a halt to the ongoing war, a plan Kyiv has agreed to. However, Putin has yet to commit, raising “serious questions” and outlining conditions instead.
Trump’s envoy, Steve Witkoff, who recently met with Putin, told CNN, “The two presidents are going to have a really good and positive discussion this week.”
Meanwhile, Moscow reported that U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov about “concrete aspects of the implementation of understandings” from the recent U.S.-Russia summit in Riyadh.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russia of delaying peace, stating that Moscow wants to “improve their situation on the battlefield” before considering a ceasefire.
At a virtual summit, U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer criticized Putin, declaring, “The ‘yes, but’ from Russia is not good enough,” and called for an end to the “barbaric attacks on Ukraine once and for all.”
Putin, however, argued that the proposed ceasefire primarily benefits Ukraine, while Russian forces continue “advancing” on multiple fronts. He insisted that Moscow’s concerns must be discussed directly with Trump.
Zelensky dismissed Putin’s hesitation, accusing him of “lying about how a ceasefire is supposedly too complicated.”
Meanwhile, Ukrainian officials reported continued Russian attacks, including a drone strike in Izyum, Kharkiv, that left at least one person dead.
