US President Donald Trump says he and Russia’s President Vladimir Putin have agreed to satisfy once more for talks on the conflict in Ukraine.
Trump introduced on social media on Thursday that he and Putin would meet within the Hungarian capital Budapest, after the 2 leaders held a lenghty and productive telephone name. A date for the assembly has not been set.
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The decision got here a day earlier than Trump is about to satisfy with President Zelenskyy in Washington, DC, the place the Ukrainian chief is predicted to renew his enchantment to Trump to promote Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine, which may permit it to strike deeper in Russian territory within the two nations’ ongoing conflict.
In a submit on Reality Social, Trump stated he would transient Zelenskyy on the Russia talks within the Oval Workplace tomorrow.
“I imagine nice progress was made with in the present day’s phone dialog,” he added.
Trump additionally stated that senior US and Russian officers would meet subsequent week to organize for one more assembly between Putin and Trump, the US chief stated.
The decision is the primary recognized dialog between the 2 leaders since they met for a summit in Alaska in August.
The shock growth comes with Zelenskyy making ready to satisfy Trump on the White Home on Friday, as Ukrainian officers search larger assist to fend in opposition to aerial assaults and strike again at Russia.
Russian forces continued to bombard Ukraine on Thursday, firing a whole bunch of drones and dozens of missiles in a single day that focused infrastructure, together with energy-related infrastructure.
Eight Ukrainian areas skilled blackouts after the barrage, Ukraine’s nationwide power operator, Ukrenergo, stated on Thursday. DTEK, the nation’s largest personal power firm, reported outages within the capital, Kyiv, and stated it needed to cease its pure gasoline extraction within the central Poltava area because of the strikes.
Pure gasoline infrastructure was broken for the sixth time this month, stated Naftogaz, Ukraine’s state-owned oil and gasoline firm.
Earlier this week, Russian forces struck a hospital and a United Nations convoy in Ukraine, injuring 57 individuals and forcing the evacuation of fifty sufferers.
Kyiv, in flip, has ramped up assaults on Russian targets, together with a strike on an oil refinery within the Saratov area.
Ukraine seeks Tomahawks
Zelenskyy has argued that boosting Ukraine’s means to hold out long-range strikes would assist compel Putin to take Trump’s requires direct negotiations to finish the conflict extra critically.
Tomahawk cruise missiles have a variety of round 1,600km (1,000 miles) and would make a strike on Moscow and different main Russian cities potential. Whereas Putin has warned that promoting such missiles to Ukraine could be a “complete new stage of escalation,” Trump instructed reporters over the weekend that he’s contemplating it.
“I would speak to [Putin], I would say, ‘Look, if this conflict will not be going to get settled, I’m going to ship them Tomahawks.’ I could say that,” Trump instructed reporters.
“The Tomahawk is an unimaginable weapon, very offensive weapon, and actually, Russia doesn’t want that.”
Trump spoke to reporters en path to Israel over the weekend, the place he addressed Israel’s parliament because the ceasefire he helped dealer in Gaza took impact. In that speech, Trump signalled the ceasefire deal may lay the groundwork for a truce between Russia and Ukraine, making it clear he’s prepared to use strain to Putin.
“First we’ve got to get Russia completed,” Trump stated. “We gotta get that one completed.”
Trump and Putin met in Alaska in August to debate ending Moscow’s conflict in Ukraine, however left that quick summit with out a deal.
Since that assembly, Trump has stepped up strain on world leaders to cease shopping for oil from Russia. This week, Trump claimed Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had pledged to cease shopping for Russian oil.
