Ukraine War: Trump To Talk With Putin, Zelensky By Phone Today
By Yadnom Awu/Asaba
American President Donald Trump is expected to have a telephone conversation with his Russian President, Vladimir Viktor Putin.
He is also billed to call the Ukrainian leader, Wladimyr Zelensky.
The actual time of the call has not been made public but it would be the second phone call between both men who lead the countries with the highest individual stock of nuclear weapons.
It remained unclear at press time what the theme of the talks would be but it is likely to focus on the Russian war on Ukraine, now in its third year.
But it comes as Russia and Ukraine began the first direct contact between officials of both countries in Turkiye at the weekend.
The talks, understandably on a low level, ended on an exploratory note , though they eked out a prisoner exchange deal between both countries.
Under the exchange deal, both countries are to release 1, 000 Prisoners of War (PoWs), though the day has yet to be set for the actual implementation.
The deal, struck last Friday, came as Russia released 909 corpses of fallen troops to Ukraine.
Today’s phone talks also came as Russia ramped up its military onslaught on Ukraine.
Ukrainian officials say that Russia, since the weekend, has launched an unprecedented level of military pounding of Ukraine, targeting capital settlements as Kiev, its capital, Kherson and many outlying areas.
Both countries have repeatedly spoken of their desire to begin talks to end the conflict which Trump calls a blood bath, and which experts say costs 5000 human lives per week.
But differences in the precedent conditions are hampering efforts at reaching a deal to end it.
While Ukraine, which is on the back foot militarily, insists on zero conditions and an agreement for a long ceasefire, Russia, throttling down on its slow military progress, is laying stiff conditions, including Ukraine signing off on its desire to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization,NATO
