‘Trying to stop bloodbath’: Donald Trump amid move to set off Russia-Ukraine truce talks ‘immediately’

US President Donald Trump dialled Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday to spur progress toward ending the Ukraine war. After the US President held talks with leaders of the two countries, he asserted that he is trying to amend things that were “from the last administration.”

Donald Trump said, “My little conversation with a nice gentleman named Vladimir Putin. We had a good talk, and I think that progress is being made. 5,000 young soldiers are being killed every single week on average. And it's a number probably worse than that, in addition to other people that are being killed in towns.”

He further noted the US administration's keen interest to stop the killings further and bring the end to the three-year war “immediately.”

US President added, "We're trying to stop it. It's an absolute bloodbath. I've seen satellite pictures that are so bad, so horrible...We're doing the best we can. This was not our war. This was not me. We're doing something from the last administration. How did they allow that to happen? It wouldn't have happened."

Although the conversations did not seem to provide a major breakthrough, but this recent round of talks follows the first direct engagement between Russian and Ukrainian delegations since 2022, AP reported. On May 19, both leaders made a progressive move to end the ongoing war and reportedly agreed to support immediate negotiations. 

In a social media post on his Truth Social platform, Donald Trump wrote, “Just completed my two hour call with President Vladimir Putin of Russia. I believe it went very well.”

According to Donald Trump, Russia and Ukraine will “immediately” begin ceasefire negotiations to bring an end to the conflict that began with Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Emphasising on the nearing end to the war, Trump said, "Russia and Ukraine will immediately start negotiations toward a Ceasefire and, more importantly, an END to the War," while the specifics of any agreement would be worked out directly between the two countries.

Notably, through this conversation, Donald Trump laid the foundation of future economic cooperation between the US and both Russia and Ukraine, once the war ends.

Vladimir Putin reacts

"We have agreed with the president of the United States that Russia will propose and is ready to work with the Ukrainian side on a memorandum on a possible future peace accord," Reuters quoted Vladimir Putin as saying.