Donald Trump is preparing to speak with Vladimir Putin tomorrow as military chiefs are set to discuss peacekeeping plans in London.
Trump and Putin will speak on a call as the Russian leader continues to resist a US-backed proposal for a 30-day ceasefire in Ukraine.
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has accepted the proposed unconditional ceasefire, but Russia isn’t budging – going as far to say Ukraine needs to abandon its NATO ambitions and give up territory.
But when asked about what he would speak to Putin about, Trump said: ‘A lot of work’s been done over the weekend. We want to see if we can bring that war to an end.
‘I think we have a lot of it already discussed very much by both sides, Ukraine and Russia. We are already talking about that, dividing up certain assets.
‘We will be talking about land. We will be talking about power plants,’ he added.
Meanwhile, military chiefs from the ‘coalition of the willing’, convened by Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron will meet in London on Thursday to discuss plans for a Western peacekeeping force in Ukraine.
The prime minister earlier warned Vladimir Putin ‘the world is watching’ and told global leaders the Russian leader will have to come to the negotiating table ‘sooner or later’.
He also added there had been ‘new commitments’ offered and planning would now move into an ‘operational phase’.
Speaking from the Cabinet room in Number 10 on Saturday, Sir Keir told world leaders they could not ‘sit back and wait’ for a ceasefire in Ukraine, adding: ‘We have to keep pushing ahead, pushing forward and preparing for peace, and a peace that will be secure and that will last.’
He also accused Vladimir Putin of trying to ‘delay’ a ceasefire, adding: ‘Sooner or later he is going to have to come to the table and engage in serious discussions.’
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President Zelensky previously said Putin was planning to refuse a 30-day ceasefire deal – but that he is ‘too afraid’ to tell Trump.
‘Putin often does this – he does not say “no” directly, but does so in a way that practically only delays everything and makes normal decisions impossible. We believe that all this is now – another Russian manipulation,’ he wrote on Telegram.
‘As we have always said, the only one who will delay everything, the only one who will be unconstructive is Russia. They need war.
‘Putin stole years of peace and continues this war – day after day. Now we need to put pressure on him.
If accepted unconditionally, an extended ceasefire would amount to a strategic defeat for Putin, Chalmers warned.
It would solidify Ukraine’s independence, accelerate Western aid, and also reinforce the ties with Europe.
These are all outcomes that would contradict Putin’s imperialistic goals in the start of the full-scale invasion.
Malcolm Chalmers, deputy director-general of the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), told Metro: ‘As soon as the guns stop, Ukraine’s airports will reopen, foreign assistance will flow in at greater speed, and there will be a strong sense of success across Ukraine.
‘This is not what Russia has fought three years of bloody war to achieve. It will not be easy for Putin to explain to his followers why he has wasted so much blood and treasure.’
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