Trump to speak with Putin, Zelensky on Monday

Washington, May 18 (IANS) US President Donald Trump said that he will speak separately with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday to push for a ceasefire deal between the two countries.

"I will be speaking, by telephone, to President Vladimir Putin of Russia on Monday, at 10:00 a.m.," Trump said, on Saturday, in a post on Truth Social, adding that 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 said he will "then be speaking to President Zelensky of Ukraine and then, with President Zelensky, various members of NATO."

"Hopefully it will be a productive day" and "a ceasefire will take place," he said.

Concluding their meeting in Turkey's Istanbul on Friday, delegations of Russia and Ukraine agreed to hold a new round of negotiations and have a large-scale prisoner exchange. As a key outcome of the two-hour talks, the two sides agreed to a prisoner exchange involving 1,000 people from each side, Xinhua news agency reported.

Earlier on Thursday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said that a Ukrainian delegation would attend the upcoming peace talks in Istanbul with a commitment to ending the conflict with Russia, though he would not personally show up at the negotiating table.

At the Ukrainian embassy in Ankara following talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday, Zelensky told reporters that Ukraine would send a delegation to Istanbul.

Zelensky said Ukraine remained committed to dialogue but expressed doubts about Moscow's intentions, Xinhua news agency reported.

He told reporters that Ukraine did not see "any decision-makers" from the Russian delegation who will be present at the talks.

The delegation will be led by Ukrainian Defence Minister Rustem Umerov, alongside professionals, including military and intelligence officers, Zelensky remarked, noting that Ukraine is awaiting confirmation from both Washington and Moscow on the exact schedule for the talks.

--IANS

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