Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy will be speaking with Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin to seek an end to the ongoing conflict the war in Ukraine, which has resulted in the deaths of thousands of soldiers every week, including “AND TRADE.” According to a post on social media by Trump, he plans to discuss the issue further with Zelenskyy in another conversation to work towards ending the war, as reported by Oliver Millman.
The leaders of both Germany and Italy have confirmed that Europe is presently not considering the deployment of troops in Ukraine. According to Friedrich Merz, the chancellor of Germany, there is currently “no reason” to discuss the possibility of troops, and emphasized that current efforts remain focused on securing an unconditional ceasefire from Russia.
Following a Russian attack on a minibus that resulted in the deaths of nine people, Zelenskyy has called for strict sanctions against Moscow. Ukraine announced that the minibus was evacuating civilians from a town in the Sumy region, which has seen repeated assaults by Russia. Zelenskyy declared on X that all the victims were civilians and accused Russia of deliberately targeting them.
The Ukrainian president has been engaging in meetings with various leaders in Rome as he urges for support in the ongoing talks. On X, Zelenskyy expressed his focus on achieving a ceasefire, securing humanitarian assistance from allies, and efforts to rebuild Ukraine after the conflict.
The US secretary of state Marco Rubio has proposed that the Vatican could potentially host future Russia-Ukraine peace talks, in line with Pope Leo XIV’s commitment to assist in ending the war. According to Rubio, both parties might be comfortable with the Vatican as a venue for negotiations.
Russia’s foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, had a discussion with Rubio and expressed his welcome of the U.S.’s positive role in facilitating further talks between the Kremlin and Ukraine.
However, Russia’s primary negotiator brought up the country’s past conflicts to warn of the possibility of a protracted conflict in Ukraine. If Russia and Ukraine cannot reach a consensus, negotiations may continue for years, as Russia is prepared to fight for as long as necessary,even decades, as it did in wars like the one with Sweden, which lasted for 21 years. Pjotr Sauer reports on the remarks made by Vladimir Medinsky to the Ukrainian delegation.
Prime Minister of Canada, Mark Carney, showed his unwavering support for Ukraine during his first face-to-face meeting with Zelenskyy. He promised that “Canadian people will stand in steadfast and unwavering support”, and emphasized that any peace agreement would require the full participation and support of Ukraine, assuring Zelenskyy of Canada’s continued backing. The meeting took place in Rome at the inaugural mass of the newly elected Pope.
