The Kremlin stated on Monday that work was underway to arrange the second telephone name between President Vladimir V. Putin and President Trump however refused to reveal what could be on the agenda, as American officers continued to mission some optimism a few U.S.-backed cease-fire cope with Ukraine.
The extremely anticipated telephone name, scheduled for Tuesday, would be the first recognized dialog between the 2 leaders sinceUkraine agreed to assist a U.S.-backed monthlong cease-fire, so long as Russia does the identical. Whereas Mr. Trump has unequivocally said his want to dealer some kind of truce as rapidly as potential, Mr. Putin seems to be seeking to use the second to win extra concessions.
Talking aboard Air Power One on Sunday night, Mr. Trump stated that he anticipated to debate territorial points with Mr. Putin in addition to the destiny of Ukrainian energy crops. He additionally famous that there had already been discussions about “dividing up sure belongings.”
“We need to see if we will deliver that warfare to an finish,” Mr. Trump stated. “Perhaps we will. Perhaps we will’t, however I feel we have now an excellent probability.”
The Kremlin’s spokesman confirmed on Monday {that a} name was anticipated to happen the next day. When requested whether or not Ukrainian nuclear energy crops could be mentioned, the spokesman, Dmitri S. Peskov, stated “we by no means get forward of issues” since in Moscow’s “opinion the contents of conversations between the 2 leaders can’t be mentioned a priori.”
“That’s the reason we won’t try this,” he informed a briefing.
.
Mr. Putin has not but agreed to the 30-day cease-fire that U.S. officers proposed after talks with Ukrainian officers in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. He has stated the concept was “the fitting one and we positively assist it” — however laid out quite a few circumstances that would delay or derail any truce.
“There are questions that we have to talk about, and I feel that we have to speak them by way of with our American colleagues and companions,” he told a news conference on Thursday.
These remarks got here simply earlier than Mr. Putin met with Steve Witkoff, who serves as Mr. Trump’s particular envoy to the Center East. However he has been concerned within the peace talks over Ukraine and different discussions about restoring ties between Moscow and Washington.
Mr. Witkoff informed CNN on Sunday that his assembly with Russia’s chief had lasted three to 4 hours. He declined to share the specifics of their dialog, however stated it went effectively and that the 2 sides had “narrowed the variations between them.”
President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine has accused Mr. Putin of stalling whereas Russia’s military advances on the battlefield to strengthen his hand in talks with the Trump administration about pausing the hostilities.
Moscow’s push to drive out Ukrainian troops from most of the Kursk region of Russia in latest days has disadvantaged Kyiv of an necessary bargaining chip in any potential negotiations. .
With its advance in Kursk, Russia can present Mr. Trump that it holds the momentum on the battlefield. Battlefield maps compiled by each Russian and Western teams analyzing fight footage and satellite tv for pc photos present that Russian forces have already crossed into Ukraine’s Sumy area from Kursk, in what analysts say could also be an effort to flank and encircle the remaining Ukrainian troops in Kursk or open a brand new entrance within the warfare.
Mr. Zelensky has accused Russia to making ready to mount a bigger offensive into the Sumy area, which is dwelling to a whole lot of hundreds of individuals. These actions, he stated, indicated that Mr. Putin was not thinking about peace.
Because the American proposal for a cease-fire, Mr. Zelensky stated on Sunday evening, “Russia stole nearly one other week — every week of warfare that solely Russia needs.”
“We’ll do the whole lot to additional intensify diplomacy. We’ll do the whole lot to make diplomacy efficient,” he wrote on social media.
The reference to “energy crops” by Mr. Trump was the most recent indication that they could issue into any such diplomacy round a cease-fire. Whereas the president didn’t elaborate, his feedback got here on the identical day Mr. Witkoff talked about a “nuclear reactor” in an interview with CBS News.
That appeared be a reference to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant in southern Ukraine, which Russia seized early within the warfare and nonetheless controls.
The six-reactor plant, Europe’s largest, has not provided energy to Ukraine’s grid since its seize. Its proximity to frontline combating has long raised concerns in regards to the threat of a radiological catastrophe.
Ukraine has repeatedly demanded Russian forces depart the ability plant as a way to cut back the danger of a nuclear accident and ease the nation’s energy shortages. However that risk has grown more and more unlikely as Russia strengthens its maintain on occupied territories in Ukraine.
Viktoria Hryb, the pinnacle of the Ukrainian Parliament’s subcommittee on power safety, stated she was “just a little shocked that the query of the plant emerged” within the remarks by Mr. Trump and Mr. Witkoff.
“Ukraine needs it again,” she stated, but it surely isn’t clear why Russia would give it up. The ability plant sits in Ukraine’s southern Zaporizhzhia area, which Russia has formally annexed regardless of controlling solely a part of its territory.
It’s unclear what Russia might ask in trade for returning the Zaporizhzhia plant to Ukrainian management.
Victoria Voytsitska, a former lawmaker and senior member of the Ukrainian Parliament’s power committee, famous that Moscow had lengthy sought to renew oil and fuel exports to Western nations. These exports, a vital income for Russia’s authorities, largely stopped after the warfare started, as European nations moved to wean them off Russian power provides and imposed sanctions on Russian power corporations.
Tyler Pager contributed reporting.
