While the Kremlin stated there were reasons to be “cautiously optimistic” about ending the conflict, President Trump has now reportedly stated that the United States and Russia had ‘productive’ talks regarding a settlement to the war in Ukraine.
Without providing further details, Trump also claimed that he pleaded with Putin to spare the lives of hundreds of Ukrainian soldiers who he claimed were encircled by Russian forces.
In recent days, Russian forces have made quick progress in the Kursk area of Russia, putting Ukrainian forces’ supply lines under fire and forcing troops to evacuate from a number of villages as well as the town of Sudzha.
According to the Kremlin, Putin met late Thursday night with Steve Witkoff, Trump’s special envoy.
Putin is faced with a choice: accept a cease-fire when Russian forces are gaining ground, or reject it and jeopardize a fragile thaw in relations with Washington.
The Kremlin’s response to the cease-fire proposal thus far has been to reject an immediate truce while expressing willingness to discuss it.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky urged the United States to exert pressure on Russia to halt the conflict.
Peskov stated on Friday that a precise time for the two leaders to speak had not been decided and will be decided once Witkoff gives Trump the information he received in Moscow.
Trump stated on Thursday that he was pushing for a swift resolution to the dispute and that he would be speaking with Putin shortly.
This week, the U.S. and Ukraine negotiated a cease-fire offer in Saudi Arabia, which put pressure on the Russian leader to show that he is willing to work toward peace.
Putin stated on Thursday that any halt in combat would benefit Ukraine as Russia was winning battles and that a number of problems would need to be fixed before a cease-fire could be agreed upon.
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