U.S. President Trump To Speak Tuesday With Russia’s Putin On Peace In Ukraine

By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News

AIR FORCE ONE/BUDAPEST (Worthy News) – U.S. President Donald J. Trump says he plans to speak to Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday and discuss ending the war in Ukraine, which is believed to have killed and injured some 1 million people.

“We want to see if we can bring that war to an end,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One during a late flight back to the Washington area from Florida. “Maybe we can, maybe we can’t, but I think we have a very good chance.”

He added: “I’ll be speaking to President Putin on Tuesday. A lot of work’s been done over the weekend.”

Trump said there have already been “positive talks” between U.S. and Russian officials in Moscow. He cited American special envoy Steve Witkoff, who visited President Putin last week.

Witkoff said Putin “is open” to Trump’s ideas for ending the war.

Yet, the European Union’s foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, expressed doubts about Russia’s willingness to end the war. “The demands Russia is making show that they do not want peace,” Kallas added before an EU Foreign Ministers meeting.

U.S. President Donald Trump has stated that ceasefire negotiations between Ukraine and Russia will include discussions on land division and power plant control. “We’ve already discussed a lot with both sides—Ukraine and Russia. We are talking about dividing certain assets,” Trump said when asked about potential concessions.

‘POSITIVE TALKS’

Last week, U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff visited President Vladimir Putin and described their talks as “positive.” According to Witkoff, Putin is open to Trump’s ideas for ending the war.

While Trump and Putin are set to have a direct conversation, lower-level talks are also taking place. A U.S. negotiating team is scheduled to engage with both Ukrainian and Russian officials. The United States recently proposed a 30-day ceasefire, which Ukraine has accepted, but Russia has yet to agree.

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas doubts Russia’s willingness to end the war. “The demands Russia is making show that they do not want peace,” Kallas said before an EU Foreign Ministers meeting.

She apparently referred to Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko, who said Russia is demanding “ironclad security guarantees” that Ukraine will never join the NATO military alliance.

Russia has also made clear it does not want to give up territories it annexed in Ukraine.

As preparations were underway for more peace talks, fighting continued, with Russian forces capturing several locations, including the city of Sudzha.

Elsewhere, Ukraine’s Defense Minister Rustem Umerov confirmed that Ukrainian troops in Russia’s Kursk region have withdrawn to “more favorable defensive positions.

WITHDRAWAL PLANNED

He insisted the withdrawal was planned and denied reports that Ukrainian forces were surrounded.

“Our troops continue defensive operations and maintain control over significant areas in enemy territory,” Umerov claimed.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has warned that Russia may soon launch an attack on Sumy, a region bordering Kursk.

However, Kyiv struck back Monday with a Ukrainian drone attack on energy infrastructure in Russia’s Astrakhan region overnight, causing a fire and injuring one person, said regional governor Igor Babushkin. He stated that the situation was “under control” but did not specify which facility was hit.

The ongoing clashes underscored a sense of urgency in the United States’ attempts to reach a 30-day ceasefire, which Ukraine has accepted, but Moscow has yet to accept.

Germany’s Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock also emphasized the need for budgetary flexibility within the EU to enhance collective security and defense.

“A strong and sovereign Ukraine is our goal. This requires a firm stance, especially in negotiations with Putin’s Russia,” she stated.

MILITARY PLANNERS

Therefore, military planners from Germany and other countries will meet in London on Thursday to discuss preparations for a peacekeeping mission in Ukraine.

However, Moscow has previously deemed the presence of European troops in Ukraine “unacceptable.”

Zelenskyy dismissed these concerns, saying that “it is a mistake to factor Russia’s stance” into the decision.

Once a peace deal is signed, it remains unclear how and if war crimes will be prosecuted after the United States withdrew from the International Centre for the Prosecution of the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine (ICPA) in The Hague.

Officials said the Trump administration did not provide specific reasons but stated that “available resources are being reallocated.”

The ICPA was established in 2023 to investigate Russian aggression against Ukraine. The U.S. joined under President Joe Biden and sent a senior prosecutor to participate.

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