Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Russia has the necessary forces and means to bring the military operation in Ukraine launched in 2022 to its “logical conclusion.” He also clarified that this can be done with “the result necessary for Russia,” while Donald Trump said that peace in Ukraine requires his meeting with the Russian president.
According to Putin, Russia has enough forces and resources to bring the “military operation” to its logical conclusion with the desired result for Moscow. He said in an interview with journalists on Sunday:
“This result is the elimination of the causes that caused this crisis, the creation of conditions for long-term, sustainable peace and ensuring the security of the Russian state, ensuring the interests of our people in the territories we always talk about. Where people who consider Russian to be their native language, who consider Russia their homeland, live.”
On May 16, the first bilateral meeting of Moscow and Kyiv delegations in three years took place in Istanbul. Following the talks, the sides agreed to exchange prisoners according to the “1000 for 1000” formula. In addition, Russia and Ukraine promised to present their views on the ceasefire in detail and to continue the negotiation process.
The next day, the Russian leader’s press secretary, Dmitry Peskov, confirmed that Moscow and Kyiv would exchange conditions for ending the conflict. The Kremlin spokesman did not disclose their content.
Trump to hold new peace talks with Putin and Zelensky
After the first Russian-Ukrainian talks in Istanbul in three years, President Trump intends to actively engage in the negotiation process.
“I’m tired of the fact that not me, but others go somewhere, hold negotiations,” Donald Trump said in an interview with the TV channel Fox News. “I’m the only one who can do that, given the office I hold,” the US president said in an interview with Fox News, which was recorded on May 16, the day of the Russian-Ukrainian talks in Istanbul.
The programme of his contacts for the coming days, Trump outlined in the social network Truth Social:
“I WILL BE SPEAKING, BY TELEPHONE, TO PRESIDENT VLADIMIR PUTIN OF RUSSIA ON MONDAY, AT 10:00 A.M. THE SUBJECTS OF THE CALL WILL BE, STOPPING THE ‘BLOODBATH’ THAT IS KILLING, ON AVERAGE, MORE THAN 5000 RUSSIAN AND UKRAINIAN SOLDIERS A WEEK, AND TRADE. I WILL THEN BE SPEAKING TO PRESIDENT ZELENSKYY OF UKRAINE AND THEN, WITH PRESIDENT ZELENSKYY, VARIOUS MEMBERS OF NATO.”
The US President’s decision to begin a series of diplomatic contacts with Vladimir Putin confirmed his belief in the need to seek a political solution to the Ukrainian conflict in a direct dialogue between the leaders of the US and Russia.
A significant part of Trump’s Fox News interview was devoted to relations with Russia and his contacts with President Putin, whose previous conversation with him took place on March 16.
“We’re going to have to meet. I think we can set a date,” Trump emphasised. “There’s no deal without me. So we need to meet, I think we will agree on it,” he added.
Asked whether he considered Vladimir Putin’s absence in Turkey last week as confirmation that the Russian president was allegedly obstructing the Ukrainian peace, the White House chief disagreed with such an assessment. “Well, he (Vladimir Putin) was at the negotiating table. He wanted this meeting,” Donald Trump said, recalling that it was the Russian president who initiated direct talks between Moscow and Kyiv on May 15.
At the same time, Trump again spoke very unflatteringly about President Zelensky, who after the talks in Istanbul continued active contacts with European leaders. “I always said he had no cards — and he really doesn’t,” Trump said, commenting on the results of the meeting in Istanbul. He recalled that he had a hard time communicating with Zelensky before and that he still considers him “the greatest salesman in the world.”
