Donald Trump is increasingly impatient to end the conflict in Ukraine. After all, he had promised it since the election campaign: ending the war would have been one of his priorities. And now, after the first direct talks between Kiev and Moscow in Istanbul, concluded without concrete results, breaks the ice and announces new phone call with Vladimir Putin, the second in a few months after the one in February.
The US president himself confirmed it: Monday at 10am (16pm in Italy) will speak on the phone with the Kremlin leader. Then, shortly thereafter, will call even the Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky and, together with him, will involve some members of the Atlantic Alliance in a trilateral conversation.
"I believe Putin is ready for an agreement“, Trump said in an interview with Fox News. “He’s going through a difficult period: the Russian economy is struggling, oil prices are low. We need to meet and find a solution. If there is no agreement, I will impose devastating sanctions".
The American strategy moves on a double track: on one hand the threat of new economic measures against Moscow, on the other a concrete attempt to relaunch diplomatic dialogue. The following also fits into this framework: phone call between Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. Rubio delivered a direct message from the White House: “The United States is committed to lasting peace and They are calling for an immediate ceasefire".
Russia's territorial demands
As Washington seeks to give a diplomatic twist to the conflict, the first direct meeting between delegations from Moscow and Kiev — held in Istanbul after three years of war — It left more questions than certainties on the outcome of the negotiations. The only concrete result was apreliminary agreement on prisoner exchange, but the distances remain profound, especially on a political and territorial level.
As reported by Sky News, the Russia has set extremely stringent conditions to start a real negotiation process. At the top of the list: theintroduction of neutrality status into the Ukrainian Constitution and international recognition of the Russian sovereignty over five currently disputed regions.
In addition to Crimea, already annexed in 2014, Moscow demands final control of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhia and Kherson. Ukrainian sources report that the Russian delegation also requested the immediate withdrawal of Ukrainian armed forces from these territories as a prerequisite for any discussion on a possible ceasefire. According to the same sources, the Russian representatives present at the table were not authorized to discuss the merits of the proposals and limited themselves to report the conditions imposed by the Kremlin. In the event of a failure to reach an agreement, Moscow would have raised the possibility of an “eternal war”.
Kremlin: “Work in progress, but no direct contact with Trump”
La Moscow's official position is cautious. The Kremlin spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, explained that negotiations with Kiev have “just begun” and will continue behind closed doors. On the possible phone call between Trump and Putin, Peskov clarified: “There have been no direct contacts between the two presidents. If they deem it appropriate to talk, we will inform the press.”
Peskov also stressed that the The composition of the Russian delegation will remain unchanged and that “the most important aspect of the negotiations will be to understand who, on the Ukrainian side, will sign any agreement”.
Rubio Talks to Lavrov: “Trump Wants Peace Now”
Il interview between Marco Rubio and Sergey Lavrov, which took place on Friday evening, confirmed the White House's intention to propose a comprehensive peace plan. The U.S. State Department said the plan would outline "the best path to a lasting end to the war."
Rubio reiterated that thepriority objective of the United States is “the immediate cessation of hostilities” and conveyed President Trump's invitation to consider an unconditional truce.
Zelensky: “Peace yes, but firmness is needed”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, awaiting a telephone conversation with Trump, cautiously welcomed the first diplomatic signals. After his participation in the Tirana summit with European leaders, he reiterated Kiev's willingness to seek a negotiated solution, but only “if the international community maintains a firm position”.
Zelensky has previously rejected any idea of recognizing the territories occupied by Moscow. “True peace cannot be built on injustice. Russia must show that it really wants to stop the war,” he said in a recent message published on Telegram.
“Black Saturday” in Sumy: The war continues among civilians
On the field, however, the conflict continues to claim victims and a Russian drone attack ha bus hit passengers in the Ukrainian city of Bilopillia, in the north-eastern region of Sumy, killing nine people and injuring seven others. The bus was just ten kilometers from the Russian border.
For Zelensky it was “a deliberate killing of civilians“. “The Russians could not have failed to know that they were hitting a civilian vehicle. Among the victims are a father, a mother and their little girl. It was a massacre. My condolences to all the families affected,” the Ukrainian president wrote on X, declaring three days of mourning for the city.
