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U.S. President Donald Trump said that Russian President Vladimir Putin told him “very strongly” successful a telephone telephone Wednesday that helium volition respond to Ukraine’s play drone onslaught connected Russian airfields arsenic the deadlock implicit the warfare drags connected and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy dismisses Russia’s ceasefire proposal.
The U.S. president said successful a societal media station that his lengthy telephone with Putin “was a bully conversation, but not a speech that volition pb to contiguous Peace.”
It’s the archetypal clip Trump has weighed successful connected Ukraine’s daring onslaught wrong Russia. The U.S. did not person beforehand announcement of the operation, according to the White House. The U.S. has led a caller diplomatic propulsion to halt the full-scale invasion, which began connected Feb. 24, 2022.
Trump, successful his societal media post, did not accidental however helium reacted to Putin’s committedness to respond to Ukraine’s attack, but his station showed nary of the vexation that Trump has expressed with his Russian counterpart successful caller weeks implicit his prolonging of the war.
Trump repeatedly promised to extremity the warfare quickly, and adjacent said helium would execute it earlier helium was sworn in. But helium mislaid patience with Putin successful caller weeks, publically pleading with him to halt warring and adjacent said precocious past period that the Russian leader “has gone perfectly CRAZY.”
Trump, however, has not committed to backing a bipartisan propulsion to authorisation Putin.
During the call, Trump’s archetypal known speech with Putin since May 19, they besides discussed Iran’s atomic program, according to Trump.
It was not wide if Trump besides planned to talk with Zelenskyy. The White House did not respond to a connection Wednesday afternoon.
The Ukrainian person earlier Wednesday dismissed Russia’s ceasefire program arsenic “an ultimatum” and renewed his telephone for nonstop talks with Putin to interruption the stalemate over the war, which has dragged connected for astir 3½ years.
Putin, however, showed nary willingness to conscionable with Zelenskyy, expressing choler Wednesday astir what helium said were Ukraine’s caller “terrorist acts” connected Russian obstruction lines successful the Kursk and Bryansk regions connected the countries’ border.
“How tin immoderate specified (summit) meetings beryllium conducted successful specified circumstances? What shall we speech about?” Putin asked successful a video telephone with apical Russian officials.
He accused Ukraine of seeking a truce lone to replenish its stockpiles of Western arms, enlistee much soldiers and hole caller attacks similar those successful Kursk and Bryansk.
Both sides exchanged memorandums mounting retired their conditions for a ceasefire for treatment at Monday’s nonstop bid talks between delegations successful Istanbul, their 2nd gathering successful conscionable implicit 2 weeks. Zelenskyy had previously challenged Putin to conscionable him in Turkey, but Putin stayed away.
Russia and Ukraine person established reddish lines that marque a speedy woody unlikely, contempt a U.S.-led planetary diplomatic push to halt the fighting. The Kremlin’s Istanbul connection contained a database of demands that Kyiv and its Western allies spot arsenic nonstarters.
Zelenskyy said that the 2nd circular of talks successful Istanbul was nary antithetic from the archetypal gathering connected May 16. Zelenskyy described the latest negotiations successful Istanbul arsenic “a governmental performance” and “artificial diplomacy” designed to stall for time, hold sanctions and person the United States that Russia is engaged successful dialogue.
“The aforesaid ultimatums they voiced backmost past — present they conscionable enactment them connected insubstantial ... Honestly, this papers looks similar spam. It’s spam meant to flood america and make the content that they’re doing something,” Zelenskyy said successful his archetypal absorption to the Russian document.
He added that the 2025 talks successful Istanbul transportation “the aforesaid contented and spirit” arsenic the fruitless negotiations held successful the Turkish metropolis successful the aboriginal days of the war.
The Ukrainian person said that helium sees small worth successful continuing talks astatine the existent level of delegations. Defense Minister Rustem Umerov led the Ukrainian delegation successful Istanbul, portion Vladimir Medinsky, an adjutant to Putin, headed the Russian team.
Zelenskyy said helium wants a ceasefire with Russia earlier a imaginable acme gathering with Putin, perchance besides including Trump, successful an effort to region obstacles to a bid settlement.
Ukraine is acceptable to conscionable astatine immoderate clip from adjacent Monday astatine a venue specified arsenic Istanbul, the Vatican oregon Switzerland, Zelenskyy said astatine a media briefing successful Kyiv.
Editorial | War and talks: On Russia and Ukraine
A 2nd circular of bid talks connected Monday betwixt Russian and Ukrainian delegations successful Istanbul lasted conscionable implicit an hr and made nary advancement connected ending the war. They agreed lone to swap thousands of their dormant and earnestly wounded troops.
Also, a caller captive speech with Russia could instrumentality spot implicit the weekend, Zelenskyy said.
The U.S. has shown signs of distancing itself from the conflict.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth skipped a meeting in Brussels connected Wednesday of an planetary radical coordinating subject assistance to Ukraine. It was the archetypal clip America’s Pentagon main didn’t be alongside 50 different defence leaders since the U.S. created the radical 3 years ago.
An investigation published Tuesday by the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington deliberation tank, said the Kremlin is hoping for U.S. disengagement portion avoiding further sanctions.
In tandem with the talks, some sides person kept up violative subject actions on the astir 1,000-kilometer (620-mile) beforehand enactment and carried retired heavy strikes.
Ukraine’s Security Service gave much details Wednesday astir its spectacular play drone strike on Russian aerial bases, which it claimed destroyed oregon damaged 41 Russian aircraft, including strategical bombers.
The bureau released much footage showing drones swooping nether and implicit parked craft and featuring immoderate planes burning. It besides claimed the planes struck included A-50, Tu-95, Tu-22, Tu-160, An-12, and Il-78 aircraft, adding that the drones had highly automated capabilities and were partially piloted by an relation and partially by utilizing artificial quality which flew the drone on a planned way successful the lawsuit it mislaid signal.
The drones were not afloat autonomous and a “human is inactive choosing what people to hit,” said Caitlin Lee, a drone warfare adept at RAND, a deliberation thank.
Ukraine’s information bureau said it besides acceptable disconnected an detonation connected Tuesday connected the seabed beneath the Kerch Bridge, a captious transport nexus betwixt Russia and illegally annexed Crimea, claiming it caused harm to the structure.
But Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Wednesday that determination was nary damage.
Russia’s Defense Ministry said Wednesday that its troops person taken power of different colony successful Ukraine’s bluish Sumy region, connected the borderline with Russia. Putin announced connected May 22 that Russian troops purpose to make a buffer portion that mightiness assistance forestall Ukrainian cross-border attacks. Since then, Russia’s Ministry of Defense claims its forces person taken power of 9 Sumy villages.
Published - June 04, 2025 10:39 p.m. IST
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