President Donald Trump said on his social media platform, Truth Social, on Saturday that he intends to speak separately with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy this week to foster a peace agreement between the two warring nations.
President Trump stated he will be speaking with Putin at 10 a.m. on Monday.
"THE SUBJECTS OF THE CALL WILL BE, STOPPING THE 'BLOODBATH' THAT IS KILLING, ON AVERAGE, MORE THAN 5000 RUSSIAN AND UKRAINIAN SOLDIERS A WEEK, AND TRADE," Trump wrote in all caps.
In addition to speaking with Zelenskyy, President Trump said he will also discuss the war with NATO leaders.
"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," Trump added.
RELATED STORY | Trump plans meeting with Putin to broker peace in Ukraine-Russia conflict
President Trump's announcement came after Putin decided not to accept Zelenskyy's invitation for a face-to-face meeting. However, delegations involving officials from Ukraine, Russia, and Turkey met on Friday. The talks in Istanbul represented the first time government officials from Russia and Ukraine have met face-to-face since 2022.
The Associated Press reported that the two sides agreed to exchange 1,000 prisoners of war each. They also agreed to provide each other with detailed ceasefire proposals and to arrange a meeting by their heads of state, the AP reported.
President Trump indicated that Putin would not meet with Zelenskyy unless the American leader was present.
"They all said Putin was going and Zelenskyy was going. And I said, If I don't go, I guarantee Putin is not going, and he didn't go. And I understand that, but we're going to get it done," President Trump said on Friday.
On Saturday, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio had a phone call with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. The State Department stated that Rubio presented Lavrov with a "comprehensive peace plan proposed by the United States."
RELATED STORY | As eyes turn toward Turkey, here's what to know about Russia-Ukraine peace talks
