US President Donald Trump has announced his intention to speak on May 19th with the leaders of Russia, Ukraine, and NATO member states to push for an end to the conflict in Ukraine, Africanews reported on May 18th.
Trump stated that his upcoming call with Putin would focus on ending the “bloodbath” in Ukraine. He expressed hope, writing on his social media platform Truth Social, “Hopefully it will be a productive day, a ceasefire will take place, and this very violent war, a war that should have never happened, will end.”
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed to Russian media that preparations for the call had already begun. Trump’s announcement followed direct talks between Moscow and Kyiv that collapsed without a ceasefire agreement.
Despite proposing negotiations, and Putin indicating he would be open to discussion early in May, Putin rejected Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s offer for a face-to-face meeting in Turkey. Instead, Russia suggested lower-level talks, dismissing a 30-day ceasefire proposal from Ukraine and Western allies, including the US.
Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio held a call with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. In his trip to Rome, Rubio proposed that the Vatican could host potential peace negotiations.
However, CNN reported on May 19th that Trump has said since the call that Russia will “immediately” try to achieve a ceasefire.
On the ground in Ukraine, tragedy struck the northeastern town of Bilopillia. A Russian drone attack on a civilian evacuation bus killed nine people and wounded seven others. Local Governor Oleh Hryhorov and Ukraine’s national police confirmed the incident. President Zelenskyy condemned the strike as the “deliberate killing of civilians,” stating on Telegram that “Russians could scarcely not realize what kind of vehicle they were hitting.”
Earlier, Russian and Ukrainian delegations left Istanbul after a brief meeting in which both sides agreed to exchange 1,000 prisoners each, The Guardian reported on May 16th. Ukraine’s intelligence chief, Kyrylo Budanov, told national television the swap could take place as early as next week.
Despite that agreement, the Kremlin continued to reject Western-backed ceasefire proposals. Trump, frustrated by stalled negotiations, warned that he might abandon peace efforts if no progress is made. “He and I will meet, and I think we’ll solve it, or maybe not,” he said. “At least we’ll know.”
Zelenskyy urged tougher sanctions if Moscow refuses a full and unconditional ceasefire.
Africanews, CNN, The Guardian
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