Trump to ask Putin to stop 'bloodbath' in Ukraine peace call

LONDON -- President Donald Trump is expected to speak with Russian President Vladimir Putin at around 10 a.m. ET on Monday, as the White House continues its push for an end to Moscow's 3-year-old invasion of Ukraine after last week's peace talks in Istanbul, Turkey.

"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 wrote in a post to his Truth Social website on Saturday.

"I will then be speaking to President Zelenskyy of Ukraine and then, with President Zelenskyy, various members of NATO," Trump added.

Renewed direct contact with Putin -- the last publicly known direct phone call between the two presidents took place in February -- comes after Trump's hopes for peace talks progress in Istanbul were scuppered, Putin having declined to attend despite Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's invitation to do so.

The Istanbul talks were the first known meeting between representatives of Moscow and Kyiv since spring 2022, when the Turkish city hosted the final round of unsuccessful peace negotiations to end Russia's unfolding invasion.

Once it became clear Putin would not attend, Trump told reporters of the peace effort, "Nothing's going to happen until Putin and I get together, okay?"

"And obviously he wasn't going to go," Trump added. "He was going to go, but he thought I was going to go. He wasn't going if I wasn't there. And I don't believe anything's going to happen, whether you like it or not, until he and I get together, but we're going to have to get it solved, because too many people are dying."

Trump's repeated threats of further sanctions on Russia have so far failed to precipitate any notable shift in Moscow's war goals -- which, according to public statements by officials, still include Ukraine's ceding of four regions -- which Russian forces do not fully control -- plus Crimea, as well as a permanent block on Kyiv's accession to NATO.

Putin said Sunday that any peace deal with Ukraine should "eliminate the causes that triggered this crisis" and "guarantee Russia's security."

Kyiv and its European backers are still pushing for a full 30-day ceasefire, during which time they say peace negotiations can take place. Moscow has thus far refused to support the proposal, suggesting that all Western military aid to Ukraine would have to stop as part of any ceasefire.

Contacts between U.S., Russian and Ukrainian officials continued after the end of the talks in Istanbul. On Saturday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said Rubio welcomed a prisoner exchange agreement reached during the Istanbul meeting and emphasized Trump's call for an immediate ceasefire.

Vice President JD Vance also met with Zelenskyy at the Vatican on Saturday, following Pope Leo XIV's offer to host a bilateral meeting.

After the meeting, Zelenskyy wrote on X that he had "reaffirmed that Ukraine is ready to be engaged in real diplomacy and underscored the importance of a full and unconditional ceasefire as soon as possible."

"We have also touched upon the need for sanctions against Russia, bilateral trade, defense cooperation, battlefield situation and upcoming prisoners exchange," Zelenskyy continued. "Pressure is needed against Russia until they are eager to stop the war."

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha on Monday wrote on X that the Istanbul meeting highlighted a "stark difference" between Moscow and Kyiv. "Ukraine is forward-looking, focused on the full and immediate ceasefire to kickstart the real peace process. To the contrary, Russia is completely focused on the past, rejecting the ceasefire and instead talking constantly about the 2022 Istanbul meetings, attempting to make the same absurd demands as three years ago."

"This is yet another reason why pressure on Russia must be increased," Sybiha added. "Moscow must now understand the consequences of impeding the peace process."

Meanwhile, long-range strikes by both sides continued. On Sunday night into Monday morning, Ukraine's air force said Russia launched 112 drones into the country, 76 of which were shot down or jammed. Damage was reported in five regions of Ukraine, the air force said in a post to Telegram.

Russia's Defense Ministry said on Monday morning that its forces had downed 35 Ukrainian drones overnight.