Trump says Putin told him Russia will respond to Ukrainian attack

US President Donald Trump says Russian President Vladimir Putin has told him "very strongly" successful a telephone telephone that he will respond to Ukraine's play drone onslaught connected Russian airfields.

The telephone came arsenic nan deadlock complete nan warfare dragged connected and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy dismissed Russia's ceasefire proposal.

The US president said successful a societal media station connected Wednesday (early Thursday AEST) that "It was a bully conversation, but not a speech that will lead to contiguous Peace".

It's nan first clip Trump has weighed successful connected Ukraine's daring onslaught wrong Russia. The US did not person beforehand announcement of nan operation, according to nan White House. The US has led a caller negotiated push to extremity nan full-scale invasion, which began connected February 24, 2022.

Trump, successful his societal media post, did not opportunity really he reacted to Putin's committedness to respond to Ukraine's attack, but his station showed nary of nan vexation that Trump has expressed pinch his Russian counterpart successful caller weeks complete his prolonging of nan war.

Trump many times promised to extremity nan warfare quickly, and moreover said he would execute it earlier he was sworn in. But he mislaid patience pinch Putin successful caller weeks, publically pleading pinch him to extremity fighting and moreover said precocious past period that nan Russian leader "has gone perfectly CRAZY".

Trump, however, has not committed to backing a bipartisan push to punishment Putin.

During nan call, Trump's first known talk pinch Putin since May 19, they besides discussed Iran's atomic program, according to Trump.

It was not clear if Trump besides planned to speak pinch Zelenskyy.

Zelenskyy brushes disconnected Russian scheme and pushes for talks

The Ukrainian leader earlier connected Wednesday dismissed Russia's ceasefire scheme arsenic "an ultimatum" and renewed his telephone for nonstop talks pinch Putin to break nan stalemate complete nan war, which has dragged connected for astir 3½ years.

Putin, however, showed nary willingness to meet pinch Zelenskyy, expressing anger connected Wednesday astir what he said were Ukraine's caller "terrorist acts" connected Russian obstruction lines successful nan Kursk and Bryansk regions connected nan countries' border.

"How tin immoderate specified (summit) meetings beryllium conducted successful specified circumstances? What shall we talk about?" Putin asked successful a video telephone pinch apical Russian officials.

He accused Ukraine of seeking a truce only to replenish its stockpiles of Western arms, enlistee much soldiers and hole caller attacks for illustration those successful Kursk and Bryansk.

Both sides exchanged memorandums mounting retired their conditions for a ceasefire for chat astatine Monday's nonstop bid talks betwixt delegations successful Istanbul, their 2nd gathering successful conscionable complete 2 weeks. Zelenskyy had antecedently challenged Putin to meet him successful Turkey, but Putin stayed away.

Russia and Ukraine person established reddish lines that make a speedy woody unlikely, contempt a US-led world negotiated push to extremity nan fighting. The Kremlin's Istanbul connection contained a database of demands that Kyiv and its Western friends spot arsenic nonstarters.

'This archive looks for illustration spam'

Zelenskyy said that nan 2nd information of talks successful Istanbul was nary different from nan first gathering connected May 16. Zelenskyy described nan latest negotiations successful Istanbul arsenic "a governmental performance" and "artificial diplomacy" designed to stall for time, hold sanctions and person nan United States that Russia is engaged successful dialogue.

"The aforesaid ultimatums they voiced backmost past — now they conscionable put them connected insubstantial ... Honestly, this archive looks for illustration spam. It's spam meant to flood america and create nan belief that they're doing something," Zelenskyy said successful his first guidance to nan Russian document.

He added that nan 2025 talks successful Istanbul transportation "the aforesaid contented and spirit" arsenic nan fruitless negotiations held successful nan Turkish metropolis successful nan early days of nan war.

The Ukrainian leader said that he sees small worth successful continuing talks astatine nan existent level of delegations. Defence Minister Rustem Umerov led nan Ukrainian delegation successful Istanbul, while Vladimir Medinsky, an adjutant to Putin, headed nan Russian team.

Zelenskyy said he wants a ceasefire pinch Russia earlier a imaginable acme gathering pinch Putin, perchance besides including Trump, successful an effort to region obstacles to a bid settlement.

"We are proposing … a ceasefire earlier a leaders' summit," pinch nan US acting arsenic a mediator, Zelenskyy told a media briefing successful Kyiv.

"Why a ceasefire earlier nan leaders' meeting? Because if we meet and location is nary communal understanding, nary willingness aliases imagination connected really to extremity this, past nan ceasefire would extremity that aforesaid day. But if we spot readiness to proceed nan speech and return existent steps toward de-escalation, past nan ceasefire would beryllium extended pinch US mediation guarantees," he said.

Ukraine is fresh to meet astatine immoderate clip from adjacent Monday astatine a venue specified arsenic Istanbul, nan Vatican aliases Switzerland, Zelenskyy said.

US defence caput stays away

A 2nd information of bid talks connected Monday betwixt Russian and Ukrainian delegations successful Istanbul lasted conscionable complete an hr and made nary advancement connected ending nan war. They agreed only to switch thousands of their dormant and earnestly wounded troops.

Also, a caller captive speech pinch Russia could return spot complete nan weekend, Zelenskyy said.

The US has shown signs of distancing itself from nan conflict.

Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth skipped a gathering successful Brussels connected Wednesday of an world group coordinating subject assistance to Ukraine. It was nan first clip America's Pentagon main didn't be alongside 50 different defence leaders since nan US created nan group 3 years ago.

An study published Tuesday by nan Centre for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington deliberation tank, said nan Kremlin is hoping for US disengagement while avoiding further sanctions.

"Without superior pain, Putin will proceed to resistance nan bid talks out, support fighting, and hold for nan United States to locomotion away," it said.

In tandem pinch nan talks, some sides person kept up violative subject actions on nan astir 1000-kilometre beforehand statement and carried retired heavy strikes.

Ukraine's Security Service gave much specifications Wednesday astir its spectacular play drone strike connected Russian aerial bases, which it claimed destroyed aliases damaged 41 Russian aircraft, including strategical bombers.

The agency claimed nan planes struck included A-50, Tu-95, Tu-22, Tu-160, An-12, and Il-78 aircraft, adding that artificial intelligence helped guideline nan drones thousands of kilometers from Ukraine.

It besides said it group disconnected an detonation connected Tuesday connected nan seabed beneath nan Kerch Bridge, a captious carrier nexus betwixt Russia and illegally annexed Crimea, claiming it caused harm to nan structure.

But Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Wednesday that location was nary damage.

Russia's Defence Ministry said Wednesday that its troops person taken power of different colony successful Ukraine's bluish Sumy region, connected nan separator pinch Russia. Putin announced connected May 22 that Russian troops purpose to create a buffer area that mightiness thief forestall Ukrainian cross-border attacks. Since then, Russia's Ministry of Defence claims its forces person taken power of 9 Sumy villages.

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