Trump, Putin hold talks over ceasefire in Ukraine

MOSCOW/WASHINGTON — US President Donald Trump spoke to Russia's Vladimir Putin on Monday about peace in Ukraine after Washington said there was an "impasse" over ending Europe's deadliest conflict since World War II and that the United States may have to walk away.

Trump, who says he wants to be remembered as a peacemaker, has repeatedly called for an end to the "bloodbath" in Ukraine, which his administration casts as a proxy war between the United States and Russia.

Under pressure from Trump, delegates from both sides met last week in Istanbul for the first time since March 2022, after Putin proposed direct talks and Europeans and Ukraine demanded an immediate ceasefire. Both countries agreed to swap 1,000 prisoners each but failed to agree on a truce, after Moscow presented conditions that a member of Ukraine's delegation called "nonstarters".

The call on Monday was underway shortly after 10 am, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said, promising additional details after it concludes.

The goal for the call was to "see this conflict come to an end", she added.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov called the conversation "important, given the talks that took place in Istanbul" last week.

Shortly before the call, US Vice President JD Vance told reporters that Washington recognized there was an "impasse" in ending the conflict.

"We realize there's a bit of an impasse here. ... We're going to try to end it, but if we can't end it, we're eventually going to say: 'You know what? That was worth a try, but we're not doing any more,'" Vance said as he prepared to depart from Italy.

"The subjects of the call will be stopping the 'bloodbath' that is killing, on average, more than 5,000 Russian and Ukrainian soldiers a week, and trade," Trump wrote on his Truth Social website on Sunday.

"Hopefully, it will be a productive day, a ceasefire will take place, and this very violent war, a war that should have never happened, will end."

Trump, whose administration has made it clear that Russia could face additional sanctions if it does not take peace talks seriously, said he would also speak to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and various members of NATO.

Putin has stood firm on his conditions for ending the conflict, despite public and private pressure from Trump and repeated warnings from European powers.

In an interview with Russian state TV broadcast on Sunday, Putin said that Moscow's aim was to "eliminate the causes that triggered this crisis, create the conditions for a lasting peace and guarantee Russia's security", without elaborating.

More attacks

On the ground, the conflict continued. Moscow on Monday claimed its forces had captured two villages in Sumy and Donetsk.

On Sunday, Russia launched its largest drone attack on Ukraine since the start of the conflict.

Ukraine's intelligence service said it also believed Moscow intended to fire an intercontinental ballistic missile on Sunday, though there was no confirmation from Russia that it had done so.

Russian defense units destroyed 35 Ukrainian drones overnight, Russian state news agencies reported on Monday, citing defense ministry data.

Zelensky, straining to restore ties with Washington after a disastrous February White House visit, met Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Rome on Sunday on the sidelines of Pope Leo's inauguration.

"I reaffirmed that Ukraine is ready to be engaged in real diplomacy and underscored the importance of a full and unconditional ceasefire as soon as possible," Zelensky said.

Also on Sunday, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer discussed the Russia-Ukraine conflict with leaders of the United States, Italy, France and Germany, a Downing Street spokesperson said.

"Tomorrow (Monday) President Putin must show he wants peace by accepting the 30-day unconditional ceasefire proposed by President Trump and backed by Ukraine and Europe," French President Emmanuel Macron said on X after Sunday's call.

Agencies via Xinhua